Overview

The Henderson Detention Center in Henderson, NV (Clark County) is one of only two municipal ICE detention facilities in Nevada. The city has contracted with ICE since 2010 to house up to 250 ICE and U.S. Marshals detainees. ICE pays $135/person/day — one of the highest per diem rates nationally.

Key Details

• Current ICE population: ~90-93 detainees (December 2025), up from 78 in September 2025
• ICE detainees: Represent nearly 25% of the detention center’s total population
• Revenue decline: $7.3M in 2020 down to $3.5M in 2025 (52% drop), as average ICE detainees fell from 189 to ~90
• Operating costs rising: Total facility costs jumped from $24M (2020) to $33M (2025)
• Net loss: A 2021 audit revealed the facility operated at a $16M deficit even with the ICE contract ($21M deficit without it)
• City general fund subsidizes the facility; ICE revenue now covers less than 10% of jail costs despite ICE detainees being ~25% of population

Why It Matters

Henderson exemplifies the “subsidy trap” — a municipal jail that loses money on every ICE detainee but keeps the contract because losing it would make the fiscal picture even worse. The declining ICE population (from 189 to 90 average daily) has cut revenue in half while costs keep climbing, making the city increasingly dependent on general fund transfers to keep the facility running.

Sources

• Henderson makes millions by detaining ICE suspects, but it might not cover costs (Nevada Independent, 2025)
• How Southern Nevada local governments work with ICE (Nevada Independent, 2025)
• Nevada ICE detainee population up by more than 30 percent (Nevada Independent, Nov 2025)