ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Citing staffing strains, Orange County leaders told ICE officials Wednesday that they would no longer tolerate the agency’s attempts to indefinitely hold inmates at their jail.
In a letter to ICE Assistant Field Office Director Norman Bradley, Mayor Jerry Demings wrote that the agreement the county signed to hold undocumented immigrants estimated that 94 men and 20 women would be held at any given time.
A staff member at the county confirmed that last Thursday, 182 people were being held at the jail without any criminal charges. Each detainee costs the county’s taxpayers money, since the county’s agreement with ICE only partially reimburses the cost to hold them.
The numbers are also swelling because of ICE’s habit of running out the 72-hour clock the jail agreed to hold each detainee, moving them to an ICE facility, and then rebooking them into jail to restart the clock, a loophole WFTV wrote about last month.
Detainees, in court filings, claimed the practice has allowed them to be held for weeks without being able to post bond.
Demings’ letter told ICE the jail capacity would be capped at 66 men and 64 women, excluding immigrants who had criminal charges.
He also said the jail agreed to hold each detainee for one continuous 72-hour period only.
The jail said the measures would be effective March 1.
WFTV has reached out to ICE for a response and to ask how the agency will adjust its procedures.
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