(LEX18) — The League of Women Voters of Kentucky has released data showing 1,041 people are being held for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Kentucky jails across nine counties, as of Feb. 5.
The nonpartisan organization says it collected the data in the interest of public transparency amid a significant increase in ICE detention activity in the state.
Jennifer Jackson, president of the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, said the effort began after the organization became aware that ICE detainees were being held in the state.
"One of the issues that came up was, you know, we see that there's a lot of ICE activity in other states and we weren't really sure what was happening here in Kentucky. But then we learned that there were detainees that were here in Kentucky," Jackson said.
Jackson said the data collection was driven by a commitment to openness about what is happening in the state's jails.
"Just doing an assessment of what's happening right now, and really it's about transparency," Jackson said.
Boone County Jail holds the highest number of ICE detainees among the nine counties, reporting 202 detainees as of Feb. 5.
Data from the ICE Detention Management website shows the number of ICE detainees in Kentucky has grown sharply in recent months. In September 2025, there were 435 ICE detainees in the state. By February 2026, that number had jumped by a little over 600 people, bringing the total to 1,041.
Jackson said the scale of the increase — and the profile of those being detained — is cause for concern.
"I think it's very concerning that you've seen such an increase in the number of ICE detainees. And what is most concerning to me is that the largest proportion of those additional ICE detainees are listed by DHS as being noncriminal," Jackson said.
Of the 1,041 detainees, 751 are classified as noncriminal by the Department of Homeland Security.
Jackson also noted that some jails have expanded their capacity to accommodate the increase in detainees.
"I know that in certain places, they had increased the number of beds in their jail to be able to not only house more of their own local prisoners, but also to increase, to be able to house," Jackson said.
A key concern raised by the League of Women Voters is that not all ICE detainees appear on some jails' public inmate lists, making it difficult for families and attorneys to locate and contact them.
Jackson said the organization's broader goal is to ensure that people in detention are treated with dignity.
"We really have to tap into the humanity that we are showing to the people that are being detained, and we have to commit ourselves to being able to build institutions and practices that treat people humanely," Jackson said.
