Adams County Correctional Center — Second largest ICE facility in U.S., CoreCivic, 2,260 beds · MS · 2,260 beds · CoreCivic

Overview

The Adams County Correctional Center in Natchez is the second largest ICE detention facility in the entire country when full, averaging 2,154 detainees per day in early 2026 — but its population dropped by nearly 1,000 in three weeks in April 2026 (see below). Mississippi has one of the smallest immigrant populations of any state, yet houses one of the nation’s biggest detention operations. The facility is privately owned and operated by CoreCivic Inc. under an Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) with ICE and Adams County.

Key Details

Capacity: 2,260 beds
Average daily population: 2,154 (early 2026)
Operator: CoreCivic (publicly traded, Tennessee-based)
Contract: IGSA between ICE, CoreCivic, and Adams County
Monthly flat rate: $3.9M (per 2019 agreement)
Warden: Rafael Vergara (named September 2025; replaced Jason Streeval)
Average stay: ~60 days, but lengthening — some detainees held 7+ months
Criminal conviction rate: Only 9% have any criminal conviction; all held for civil immigration infractions

Death in Custody: Delvin Francisco Rodriguez

Delvin Francisco Rodriguez, 39, Nicaraguan national, died December 14, 2025 at Merit Health Natchez after a medical emergency on December 4, 2025.

Staff found Rodriguez unresponsive in his living area at approximately 4:15 PM on Dec. 4
He was transported to Merit Health Natchez, where he failed a brain death test 10 days later
ICE told family he was found “hanging in a cell” with a sheet
However: Rodriguez had been housed in a large open unit with 100+ people, and family was not told why he was in a cell
Nurses reportedly told family that Rodriguez’s injuries appeared inconsistent with ICE’s account
Rodriguez was one of 7 ICE custody deaths in December 2025 alone
2025 was the deadliest year for ICE detention since the agency was formed, with 33 in-custody deaths

Population Plummet — April 2026

The facility’s population nosedived by nearly 1,000 detainees in roughly three weeks in April 2026, leaving several housing units vacant and triggering rumors among detainees that the facility was closing.

April 2, 2026: ICE reported ~2,100 held
April 9, 2026: When Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02) visited, only ~1,400 detainees remained — a drop of ~700 in one week
Late April 2026: A detainee reported the kitchen was preparing only 1,247 meals, suggesting the decline continued
No closure: ICE spokesperson Angelina Vicknair said the facility “will remain open.” Under federal WARN-type labor law, CoreCivic would have to file written notice before laying off its ~400 employees; the MS Dept. of Employment Security confirmed no such notice had been filed.
ICE characterized the swing as “normal” population fluctuation. Reporters could not independently confirm the cause; possibilities include transfers to other facilities or releases tied to stalled court dockets.

This matters because Adams is the county’s largest-employer detention operation: a sudden, unexplained 50% population drop with no closure notice is the kind of signal that precedes either a quiet wind-down or a re-fill from a new enforcement surge.

Stalled Detainee Court Cases — 2026

Hundreds of people held at ACCC have waited months for a judge to rule on habeas/bond arguments to be released while their immigration cases proceed. In February 2026 the 5th Circuit (TX/LA/MS) upheld the administration’s mandatory detention policy, as did the 8th Circuit in March 2026 — decisions that made it harder for ACCC detainees to challenge prolonged detention. Attorneys also reported difficulty reaching clients and hearings not being held as scheduled.

Rep. Bennie Thompson Oversight Visit — April 9, 2026

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), in whose district the facility sits and one of the lawmakers suing the administration over detention transparency, conducted a 3.5-hour visit on April 9, 2026 to examine living conditions and the Rodriguez death. He reported the bathrooms, kitchen, commissary, and infirmary were clean and received no direct mistreatment complaints, though detainees raised concerns about ICE processing, status delays, and clothing access. Thompson said he plans an unannounced follow-up visit.

Conditions and Oversight

DHS OIG found violations of ICE detention standards (OIG-21-46, July 2021)
Detainees housed in large open dormitories with 100+ people
Transgender women held in men’s facility per Trump 2025 executive order
Nearly 90% of all ICE detainees nationally are held in for-profit facilities

Financial Context

CoreCivic reported $2.2 billion in revenue in 2025
Revenue increased by ~$200 million from 2024 to 2025, largely from ICE detention growth
CoreCivic controls approximately 57% of all privately owned prison beds in the U.S.
Adams County’s heatmap score of 42 includes a budget-distress signal — the county may be dependent on ICE revenue

Why This Matters

Adams County exemplifies the private prison-to-ICE pipeline: a rural, economically depressed county with a for-profit operator extracting federal immigration dollars. The suspicious death of Rodriguez, combined with prior OIG findings, suggests a facility where oversight has not kept pace with population growth. The budget-distress signal suggests the county itself may have financial incentives to maintain or expand the ICE relationship.

Detention Pipeline

Adams County Correctional Center — Second largest ICE facility in U.S., CoreCivic, 2,260 beds