Overview

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has made his county the most aggressive ICE enforcement partner in Ohio. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) holds both IGSA (bed space) and 287(g) agreements with ICE, and has been the primary detention site for Operation Buckeye arrests. The county jail in Hamilton has housed nearly 2,000 ICE detainees in 2025 and made over $14 million from its federal detention contract.

Key Details

• Revenue: Over $14 million in 2025; BCSO expects $20 million in 2026
• Per-diem rate: Increased from $68 to $105/day; transport fee from $36 to $47 (November 2025)
• 287(g) agreements: Both Jail Enforcement Model and Task Force Model contracts; signed Nov 6, 2025
• Trained deputies: 33 deputies trained for ICE enforcement (started with 10)
• ICE funding: $790,050 for Unaccompanied Alien Children initiative, $175,025 general (vehicles + deputies), $80,000 additional enforcement = $1M+ in ICE grants
• Operation Buckeye: Held nearly all of the ~280 immigrants arrested in December 2025 Columbus raids
• Conditions complaints: Reports of detainees in freezing temperatures, denied contact with families, denied religious observance, prompting state legislation (HB detention standards bill, 2026)
• Controversy: “The Hispanic community is being targeted” — immigration advocates note traffic stops as deportation pipeline entry point
• Primary holding site: Butler is the primary holding facility for immigration arrests out of Columbus, receiving roughly half of all ICE payments to Ohio facilities (per OIA/advocacy reporting, 2026)

Detainee Assault Lawsuit (filed May 18, 2026)

• Attorneys for Luis Tenelanda, an ICE detainee from Ecuador, sued Sheriff Richard Jones, Sgt. Corneal Rowe, and Butler County in federal court
• Alleges Rowe punched Tenelanda in the stomach in his cell on June 8, 2025 while calling detainees “illegals” and using a racial slur; Tenelanda lost consciousness, waited ~40 minutes for medical response, was hospitalized two days later with stomach inflammation and arm pain
• Internal affairs found Rowe used “minimal force” but violated policy by not filing an incident report — he received only an oral reprimand
• Tenelanda was deported to Ecuador roughly two months after the incident; suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, alleging the assault was unprovoked and race-based

Cancel-the-Contract Campaign (ongoing through May 2026)

• Butler County for Immigrant Justice has appeared weekly at County Commissioners meetings since July 2025 (largely senior citizens) demanding the ICE contract end; spoke again at the May 19, 2026 meeting, citing the Tenelanda lawsuit
• Commissioner T.C. Rogers has stated he has no plans to end the contract
• Part of a statewide week of action to end ICE jail, May 23-30, 2026 (interfaith vigils in Seneca, Mahoning, Geauga counties), organized around the Ohio Immigrant Alliance “How to End ICE Jail in Ohio” report (April 20, 2026)

Sources

• Butler County deputies now authorized to make immigration arrests under ICE program - WCPO
• Butler County Sheriff’s Office explains ICE contract - Journal-News
• Ohio sheriff says local partnerships with feds on immigration ‘starting to ramp up’ - PBS News
• 3 Ohio sheriff’s departments ink 287(g) agreements - Statehouse News Bureau (May 20, 2025)
• ICE paid Ohio prisons over $13.2 million - WDTN
• Greater Cincinnati counties working with federal immigration enforcement - WVXU (Feb 13, 2026)
• New Butler County Jail lawsuit alleges assault of ICE detainee - Journal-News (May 18, 2026)
• ‘Butler County is not living in peace’ — activists demand end to sheriff’s ICE contract - WCPO (May 2026)
• How to End ICE Jail in Ohio - Ohio Immigrant Alliance (Apr 20, 2026)