Strafford County House of Corrections — NH's Only Local ICE Detention Facility
Overview
The Strafford County House of Corrections in Dover is New Hampshire’s only local facility with a standing ICE detention contract (IGSA). After the Trump administration’s plan to add ~221 new county-jail ICE beds via deals in Rockingham and Hillsborough counties was halted in early 2026 (see nh-county-jail-ice-bed-expansion-rejected), Strafford remains NH’s lone contracted local ICE jail. As of early 2026, the facility is a political flashpoint as Democrats push to renegotiate the contract to exclude non-criminal civil detainees. Statewide, NH law HB511/SB62 (effective Jan 1, 2026) now also requires county jails to hold ICE detainees up to 48 hours even without a contract.
Key Details
- Location: Dover, NH (Strafford County)
- Contract type: IGSA (three-year contract, currently in effect)
- Per diem rate: $150/day per ICE detainee
- Projected 2026 revenue: ~$9 million from ICE contract
- Property tax impact: Without ICE revenue, property taxes would rise ~20%
- Detainee profile: 68% classified as non-criminal (civil immigration violations only)
Population Growth
- Early February 2025: Average daily ICE population of 82
- December 11, 2025: 143 ICE detainees
- Early February 2026: Average daily ICE population of 145
- Growth: 77% increase in one year
The Contract Fight
See strafford-nh-ice-contract-fight for detailed county fight entry.
The county convention (Strafford County’s state representatives) voted in March 2026 to push for renegotiation:
- Resolution vote: 22-11 (party-line) to restrict the jail to holding only ICE detainees facing criminal charges, barring civil-only detainees
- Budget vote: 29-4 to reject the county commissioners’ proposed budget in protest of the ICE partnership
- Status: The votes are symbolic — the county convention does not have direct authority over the contract, which is controlled by county commissioners
Sources
- County jail in NH facing calls to rethink ICE agreement — Boston Globe (Mar 6, 2026)
- Strafford County Democrats take stand against ICE’s jail contract — NHPR (Mar 9, 2026)
- Inside the Strafford County Jail — Concord Monitor (Feb 24, 2025)
- Inside NH jail, ICE detainees look for a lifeline — Boston Globe (Mar 17, 2025)
- Strafford County Corrections — ICE Facility Page