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Linn County sheriff says jail has room for U.S. Marshals, reports ICE interest and stepped-up hiring
Summary
Sheriff Gardner told the Board of Supervisors the county has earmarked space for 70 U.S. Marshals detainees (about 50 occupied now), that ICE has expressed interest in housing detainees temporarily, and that hiring of deputies and detention officers is underway to restore staffing.
Sheriff Gardner said at the Linn County Board of Supervisors meeting on April 1 that U.S. Marshals have returned detainees to the county jail and that the county has earmarked space for up to 70 marshals detainees, with around 50 currently housed there. "We told them we'd have space for for 70," he said, adding that preliminary discussions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement about temporarily housing people in the facility have been "favorable." He also said the Bureau of Prisons has shown interest.
Gardner described the custody and transfer process, explaining that marshals or other federal agencies sometimes remand people on criminal charges and later transfer them to ICE for immigration matters. "When we're done with our charges, let us know," he said, describing the detainer-style custody process that can lead to county-held federal detainees. He emphasized the county may not always receive full charging documents for those individuals.
On staffing, Gardner said the sheriff's office hired three deputies from January testing (three of six eligible) and plans a new deputy recruitment test in May; if hiring proceeds well he intends to advertise for civilian detention officers as well. He said shell construction at the jail is largely complete and that revenues from housing federal inmates are expected to increase. Board members asked whether detainees ICE would place in the jail are likely to have criminal records; Gardner said, based on past practice, many have been arrested on criminal charges before immigration issues were addressed.
There was no formal action or vote at the meeting; supervisors and other speakers thanked the sheriff for his work and for attending community meetings. Gardner said staffing and housing arrangements are still in preliminary stages and that any arrangement with ICE or the Bureau of Prisons would require further agreement and operational details.
Next steps: supervisors and sheriff said they will continue discussions with federal partners and monitor staffing and facility readiness before entering any formal long-term contracts.
