LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The number of people held on Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers in Kentucky has more than doubled in the last five months.
New reporting shows a quiet surge in immigration enforcement in Kentucky is packing local jails, prompting concerns about conditions, treatment and overcrowding.
The nonpartisan League of Women Voters Kentucky released a report Thursday on ICE detention in the commonwealth. It found the average daily population in Kentucky at 1,041 detainees. That's up 435 from September 2025. More than 70% of people are being held on non-criminal immigration violations, up from 47%.
The surge in arrests is crowding county jails that already lack space. One example is Grayson County, which has 536 beds and 759 people in custody, according to the league's report. That's more than 200 heads above capacity, and 158 of them are ICE detainees. Many are not actually charged with a crime.
"Human dignity always matters, and overcrowding can be incompatible with basic dignity. It can mean sleeping without a bed, having inadequate shower and toilet facilities, being unable to maintain basic modesty, and other insults to human respect," the LWV said in its report.
The report also found ICE detainees are not being included in some jails' public lists of inmates, which the league said could make it hard for families and attorneys to locate those individuals being held.
The league's report included statistics for nine county jails holding people on federal ICE detainers in Kentucky. Oldham County is the closest to Louisville, with 128 people being held on ICE detainers.
The report looked at data taken from the websites of county jails, the Kentucky Department of Corrections and ICE for the period of September 2025 to February 2026.
There's a microscope on immigration enforcement and tactics across the U.S. Citizens clashing with federal agents and the killings of two American citizens in Minnesota — Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of immigration enforcement officers.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration's immigration crackdown and disaster response. Trump said he would nominate Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin in her place.
DHS is also at the center of a funding battle in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics, leading to an ongoing partial government shutdown.
Supporters say the crackdown is about enforcing federal immigration law and making sure people without legal status are deported. But critics argue local jails are being asked to house large numbers of detainees without the space or resources to do it safely.
To read the full report, click here.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.
