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Residents urge Grayson County to end ICE contracts, say jail is 'grossly over capacity'
Summary
Two public commenters urged the Grayson County Fiscal Court to end local 287(g) immigration agreements and prioritize local detainees, saying the county jail has been repeatedly over capacity; the court did not take formal action on the contracts and proceeded with routine approvals.
Brittany, a resident who spoke during public comment, urged the Grayson County Fiscal Court to end the county's 287(g) immigration agreements and to stop sending people to federal detention contracts, saying county leadership is ignoring taxpayers and local needs.
"We, as citizens ... are watching daily as our governing bodies ... do as they please," Brittany said, and she said she had been trying to obtain open records on the county's financial records related to housing ICE detainees without paying a fee. She told the court: "According to the Kentucky Department of Corrections, as of June 11th, 2026, the Grayson County Detention Center was 166 people over capacity."
The comment echoed concerns raised moments later by Kyle, who told the court that the overcrowding had persisted for months and asked why federal ICE contracts continued when local offenders reportedly could not be housed. "If our jail is overcrowded, why do we continue to prioritize these ICE federal contracts over local needs?" Kyle asked. He characterized the issue as a human-rights, public-safety and legal-liability concern and urged any court member with private concerns to speak publicly.
The Fiscal Court did not respond to the specific allegations during the public-comment period and took no recorded action on either the 287(g) agreements or the county's ICE housing contracts during the meeting. Instead, the court moved on to a lengthy consent agenda of budget transfers, bids and routine approvals.
Why it matters: The public claims, if accurate, raise questions about local jail capacity, the county's use of federal detention contracts and potential trade-offs between revenue from federal detainees and the county's ability to house local defendants. Neither the meeting transcript nor the recorded motions shows the court directing staff to investigate or alter federal contracts at this session.
The meeting ended without a formal response to the public commenters' requests. The court adjourned after approving the day's motions and votes.
