The Baldwin County Jail is no longer an approved facility for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inmates, making it more difficult for agents to conduct immigration investigations and arrests.
The county's contract with the U.S. Marshal's Service has been held for 13 years. It provides 100 beds, 10 of which are for ICE holds.
Sheriff Anthony Lowery told 1819 News that ICE notified him last Wednesday that the jail did not meet the regulations required to hold ICE detainees for over 72 hours, including not having a recreational yard for them to use daily.
"I've been told that these immigrants have more rights than U.S. citizens in certain circumstances," Lowery said.
Lowery said the list of things needed to hold ICE detainees would not benefit the county. He said the county is trying to help federal agents and even has a plan to add more beds in the Bay Minette facility.
"It doesn't hurt us," said Lowery. "We're doing this to help them, especially when they're doing a lot of these operations all of a sudden. I don't know how much of that might change the way they do operations but we're going to continue to keep working with them."
The inmates must now be transported to Mississippi and Louisiana for ICE holds.
Lowery believes the issue will be short-lived, so he has contacted U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) to inquire about the matter.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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