The Fight

Allegany County’s jail in Belmont has been holding ICE detainees since February 2025, serving as overflow for the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, which is chronically overcrowded (727 detainees in a 650-bed facility). The county charges $95/day per detainee and billed ICE approximately $115,000 through July 2025. The Village of Allegany separately signed a 287(g) agreement in early 2026, deepening local entanglement with federal immigration enforcement.

Key Details

• Facility: Allegany County Jail, Belmont, NY
• ICE detention start: February 2025
• Per-diem rate: $95/day
• Revenue: ~$115,000 billed to ICE through July 2025
• Current population: As of early 2026, held 5 non-criminal female ICE detainees
• 287(g): Village of Allegany signed 287(g) agreement in early 2026
• Overflow driver: Buffalo Federal Detention Facility (Batavia) running at 112% capacity — 727 detainees in 650 beds
• Buffalo Field Office context: Batavia overcrowding is driving ICE to seek jail space across western and central NY

Pattern Match

This follows the classic rural-jail-as-overflow pattern seen nationwide: a federal facility hits capacity, ICE farms detainees out to surrounding county jails at per-diem rates that are attractive to cash-strapped rural counties. The $95/day rate is below average nationally but significant for a rural county. The 287(g) agreement in the Village of Allegany adds a street-level enforcement layer on top of the jail holding arrangement, creating a full pipeline from arrest to detention within the county.

Sources

• NY Focus: ICE detention spreading to rural NY jails (Sep 16, 2025)
• NY Focus: Updated coverage (Jan 31, 2026)
• THE CITY: ICE detention in New York (Jan 14, 2026)
• Investigative Post coverage of Batavia overcrowding and western NY overflow