Immigration
As part of the Unite & Rise campaign, LWVKY seeks evidence that Kentucky facilities that detain people for ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) provide dignity and due process to the people being held. In seeking that evidence, we continue our active pursuit of transparency from the Kentucky government. Based on what we learn, we may take advocacy steps consistent with LWV and LWVKY policy and issue positions. At the heart of this work is a focus on the humanity of those being detained and a commitment to building and sustaining American institutions, practices, and laws that respect that humanity.
NEW! IMMIGRATION DETENTION REPORT
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS of KENTUCKY URGES PUBLIC ACTION:
HOLD LOCAL OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE ON ICE DETENTION
As of April 2026, Kentucky county jails are holding 1,079 individuals for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—a number that has rapidly escalated in recent months.
But beyond the statistics lie urgent, deeply human questions:
Who are these detainees? How are they being moved through the system?
Are they being treated with basic human dignity and granted due process?
The LWVKY released a second report Immigrant Detention in Kentucky Jails: Who’s In Charge and What to Ask Them. Our second report moves from data to direct action. We identify three sets of elected county officials who have the authority to answer for these conditions, and we provide a guide with questions you, as a concerned citizen, should be asking them.
Who can ask? We all can, with the note that Kentucky residents who are most at risk for deportation may understandably choose not to take the lead on this particular project.
ICE DETENTION IN KENTUCKY: AN INITIAL REPORT
Our initial review of publicly available data found:
Over 1,000 people are now held for ICE in Kentucky county jails.
The ICE detainee count has grown rapidly, with only 28% identified as having a criminal charge. (Typically, nearly 100% of people in jail have a criminal charge.)
ICE detainees are not included in some jails’ public inmate lists.
ICE detainees are being held in some severely overcrowded jails.