Facility
county-jail-ice
Operational
Caroline Detention Facility — Caroline County VA (over capacity since Nov 2025)
Caroline, VA
FIPS 51033
336
Bed capacity
Operator: Caroline County (via the Caroline Detention Facility / former Caroline jail)
Overview
The Caroline Detention Facility (CDF) near Bowling Green in Caroline County (FIPS 51033) is one of Virginia’s two dedicated ICE detention centers, alongside farmville-detention-center-va. Since 2018 it has operated under contract with ICE to exclusively detain noncitizens. Rated for 336 beds, it has been continuously over capacity since November 2025.
Key Details
- Average daily population: 353 on Nov. 10, 2025; never dropped below 342 in any reporting period through April 2, 2026, and stood at 344 on April 2 (WRIC). FY2026 average reported at 331 by VPM, with 216 detainees marked as having no ICE threat level.
- No-threat majority: Like Farmville, the bulk of those detained have no criminal record, contradicting administration “worst of the worst” rhetoric.
- Oversight: Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA) visited the facility in 2026 for oversight and introduced the WATCH ICE Act for detention transparency. The DHS Office of Inspector General has previously conducted an unannounced inspection of CDF.
- Why it matters: CDF and Farmville are the only two formal ICE detention centers in Virginia. Persistent over-capacity at a 336-bed facility is a direct signal of the 2025-2026 enforcement surge (nearly 11,000 ICE arrests in VA since the 2025 inauguration) and feeds demand for the new-facility expansion ICE is pursuing across the state.