Overview

The Washoe County Jail in Reno holds ICE detainees under an intergovernmental agreement, despite NOT participating in the 287(g) program. It represents northern Nevada’s primary ICE holding facility and has seen a dramatic population increase in 2025.

Key Details

• ICE population surge: 16 detainees/day in September 2025 to 46/day in November — a nearly 200% increase
• FEMA grant: Nevada approved $436,276 in Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding in August 2025 to upgrade the jail with dedicated ICE holding cells and office space
• The sheriff’s office says the remodel is to decrease processing time and provide interview privacy — NOT to expand capacity
• Washoe County Sheriff’s Office does not participate in 287(g)

Why It Matters

The use of federal FEMA/homeland security grant money to upgrade a county jail for ICE operations is a notable funding mechanism — it means the expansion is effectively free for the county, removing the fiscal friction that stopped Nye County. Nevada was the first state removed from the Trump administration’s “sanctuary” list, and the FEMA grant approval is part of the state’s compliance package.

Sources

• Nevada plans to use FEMA funding to upgrade Washoe County Jail for ICE (Nevada Current, Aug 2025)
• Washoe County Sheriff’s Office applying for grant to remodel jail for ICE (2News, 2025)
• Nevada ICE detainee population up by more than 30 percent (Nevada Independent, Nov 2025)
• Controversy over $400k grant for Washoe County jail (MyNews4, 2025)