Sheriff Brad Kunkel has consistently dismissed concerns about ICE and the proposed expansion of the Johnson County Jail, recently acting unaware that ICE is relying on Iowa’s county jails to increase detention.
"This notion, this claim that ICE is going to fill up beds is not true," Kunkel said. "And I would ask if that's really such a concern right now, show me where it's happening already in Iowa.”
So we put together just a few links for context and some examples to help.
Not only does the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department currently work with ICE — including sometimes holding people past their ICE detainer release — but there a plenty of examples in Iowa where we see deeper ICE collaboration. And the Johnson County Jail intakes people arrested by the Iowa State Patrol, which explicitly works with ICE on immigration enforcement.
These fears are not hypothetical.
ICE activity in Iowa has increased sharply since 2025, with detentions having increased 272% from 2025 to 2026, due to local law enforcement cooperation with ICE.
ICE detentions in Iowa are primarily in county jails. Six counties have contracts specifically with ICE to provide jail beds.
Local governments get paid to help ICE, so contracts like these are increasingly popular.
Outside of those six county contracts, all county jails—including Johnson County—are required to hold people for ICE, if ICE asks. This is due to a State law requiring cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
In states that do not have such a law, county jails can choose to refuse to hold people for ICE on detainers. Johnson County holds people for ICE, and has not challenged the validity of this State law. Sadly, Johnson County has also held people for ICE beyond the legal authority to do so.
At least one federal judge has ruled that keeping people in jail in this way violates due process.
Nationwide, local jails are driving mass deportation, and it’s happening primarily in states like Iowa, where cooperation with ICE is required by the State.
ICE does not want people to know where they are detaining people. Local immigration rights organization, Prairielands Freedom Fund, is suing ICE to force them to disclose where they have agreements to hold people in custody.
Vote “no” on ballot measure LY, the $94.5 million jail and sheriff’s office bond, on or before Nov. 3.