Pike County commissioners approve two-year IGSA with ICE after public questions about detainees’ due process

Pike County commissioners voted to execute a two-year intergovernmental service agreement (IGSA) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for detainees held at the county correctional facility, concluding debate after public questioning about due process and the contract’s fiscal impact.

A resident asked multiple times whether detainees ‘have been allowed due process’ and pressed for details about the contract’s duration and the per-detainee payment, saying the county should understand the long-term cost and benefit of housing detainees under an IGSA. The chair responded that the contract term is two years and cited a per-detainee payment of "$1.78 a day" compared with "$1.20 a day" previously.

A correctional facility official told the commission, “We do not deal with their immigration rights,” explaining the county’s role is to hold individuals securely and to provide avenues for complaints within the facility. The official added that immigration matters are handled by a separate agency. A commissioner said the county has relied on revenue from housing detainees for decades and said he had called for a study to assess the fiscal impact of removing that revenue, noting, “If any of those details change, then what I say will change.” He then voted in favor of the agreement.

The motion to execute the IGSA carried. The transcript does not record a full roll-call tally; votes were recorded by voice and brief individual affirmative statements. The commission did not specify in the meeting record how the per-detainee payment is apportioned against infrastructure, staffing or other facility costs; a commissioner said a fiscal study has been requested to evaluate those impacts.

What’s next: The agreement was authorized and the chairman was directed to execute the contract on behalf of the county. Commissioners said they will review results of the study if and when it is completed.