Overview

Kenton County residents have been attending fiscal court meetings since December 2025, calling for the county to terminate its ICE cooperation agreement. The jail holds 113 ICE detainees (Feb 2026) at $88/day, roughly 100 with no criminal charges. The campaign intensified after the ICE killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis (Jan 7, 2026).

Timeline

• March 2025: Kenton County Jail signs agreement to hold DHS immigration detainees
• Summer 2025: ICE detainee population grows
• December 2025: Residents begin attending fiscal court meetings
• January 14, 2026: Residents formally call for end to ICE cooperation at fiscal court
• January 28, 2026: Continued advocacy — six speakers during public comment asked fiscal court to reconsider the intergovernmental agreement
• February 11, 2026: Counter-protesters emerge; ICE critics face pushback from residents with opposing viewpoint

Key Arguments

Against ICE agreement:

• ~130 people on immigration holds, ~100 with no criminal charges
• Referenced Renee Good killing in Minneapolis
• Overcrowding concerns
• Moral objections to indefinite detention

For ICE agreement:

• Revenue for the county
• Supporting federal law enforcement
• Public safety arguments

Why It Matters

Kenton County is the most active community resistance to ICE detention in Kentucky. The December 2025-February 2026 campaign — with sustained fiscal court attendance and public comment — represents the kind of democratic accountability mechanism that can slow or reverse detention expansion. The emergence of counter-protesters in February signals the issue is becoming politically contested rather than one-sided.

Sources

• LINK NKY: Kenton County residents urge officials to terminate ICE agreement
• LINK NKY: Residents call for an end to ICE cooperation in Kenton County
• LINK NKY: ICE critics get push back in Kenton County