Summary

Woodbury County opened a new $70 million Law Enforcement Center in September 2024 with 448 beds. Sheriff Chad Sheehan has projected $2.3 million in ICE revenue for FY2026-27, with capacity plans for 125-150 federal inmates at a time. The county has IGSAs with both USMS and ICE. Detainees are being held despite judges’ orders for release, triggering multiple lawsuits.

Key Facts

• Opened: September 18, 2024
• Total capacity: 448 beds
• Federal beds contracted: 100 beds (USMS agreement at $100/day/prisoner)
• Projected ICE revenue FY2026-27: $2.3 million
• USMS revenue already budgeted: $1.5 million; total $4.25 million budgeted for housing federal inmates in current budget year ending July 1
• Target federal inmates: 125-150 at a time (would require 8 more correctional officers per 25 inmates)
• Heatmap score: 37 (second highest in Iowa) — driven by IGSA (3), 287(g) agreement (1)
• ICE inspection: June 26, 2025

Legal Issues

• Woodbury County sued Sept. 2025 as ICE detainees remain jailed despite judges’ orders for bond release
• DHS adopted policy July 2025 mandating detention of anyone alleged to have entered illegally, overriding bond decisions
• Case of Armando Garcia Picazo: arrested Aug. 8, 2025 by ICE in Sioux City during DEA surveillance because he “looked like” the target; Judge Leonard Strand ordered release on $6,000 bond (Oct. 2025)

Why It Matters

The new facility was purpose-built with federal detention revenue as a core financial strategy. The county is now structurally dependent on ICE income to service the $70M construction debt. This creates powerful incentives to maintain and expand detention regardless of legal or human rights concerns. The pattern of ignoring judicial bond orders suggests systemic due process violations.

Sources

• Iowa jail projects $2.3M increase from ICE detainees — Corrections1
• Woodbury County Sheriff’s expects $2.3 million in revenues from housing ICE inmates — Sioux City Journal
• A look inside the new $70 million Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center — Iowa Public Radio
• Woodbury County sued as ICE detainees remain jailed despite judges’ orders — Iowa Capital Dispatch
• Federal judge in northwest Iowa orders the release of an ICE detainee — Iowa Public Radio