The Phelps County Jail will no longer take in new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees effective September 1. The jail will continue to hold detainees brought in before then until they are transferred to another facility.
"It's Sheriff Mike Kirn's decision, and we support it," said Joey Auxier, the presiding commissioner of the Phelps County Commission. "He runs the jail, and he does a good job. It's his call."
The federal government reimburses jails $85 a night to house detainees, including those brought in by the U.S. Marshall or military police. But people arrested by ICE require more labor due to transportation requirements and paperwork. The reimbursement amount did not cover the Phelps County Jail's costs.
Kirn did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The jail in Rolla has been housing people arrested by ICE since March. More than 250 people have been held at the jail since then, some for just one night and some for months.
The jail housing ICE detainees led to a group of activists to create an organization called "Abide in Love" that helps Phelps County Jail detainees by providing them money to call and text their families as well as food, clothes and hygiene items.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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