The majority of arrests are happening in jails or prisons, but around 25% are occurring at workplaces, residences, or in public spaces.
Ashley Spalding, senior fellow at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, which analyzed the latest statistics, added that the number of detainees has ballooned, and many local jails are renting beds to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"On average, the number of ICE detainees is at a historic high," Spalding reported. "We're seeing these trends play out in Kentucky. There’s just no sign of it slowing."
A new Reuters-Ipsos poll found nearly 60% of Americans said federal immigration tactics have gone too far, with 12% believing they have not gone far enough and 26% saying operations were “about right.” This week, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear publicly called for the retraining of every federal immigration officer after the killing of two Minneapolis citizens by immigration agents.
Spalding added that amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, some Kentucky lawmakers have proposed House Bill 47, which would eliminate local decisions on whether to cooperate with ICE.
"We're also seeing our bills being proposed in our state legislature that would mandate state and local participation in these ICE partnerships," Spalding noted.
In Kentucky, nearly two dozen local law enforcement agencies have already signed contracts with ICE. Supporters of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration said it is needed to improve public safety and prevent fraud in federal programs such as Medicaid and SNAP.
