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Trump Exploits Jail Contracts to Skirt Sanctuary Policies, Supercharge Deportations, New Report Shows

August 4, 2025

A new Prison Policy Initiative report reveals how the Trump administration is using local jails to facilitate mass deportation, even in sanctuary cities and counties. The report, "Hiding in Plain Sight," explains that the administration circumvents sanctuary policies through a loophole that allows federal agencies to refer immigrants for criminal prosecution, enabling detention in local jails that have contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service. This strategy has resulted in ICE's actual detention numbers being approximately 45 percent higher than officially reported, with an estimated 83,400 immigrants in detention compared to the reported 57,200.

Who is affected

  • Immigrants living in the United States, including those in sanctuary cities and counties
  • Local communities unknowingly participating in federal deportation efforts
  • Immigrants arrested for minor offenses (like driving without a license)
  • Local jails with U.S. Marshals Service contracts
  • Cities and states with sanctuary policies

What action is being taken

  • The Trump administration is using local jails to detain immigrants through U.S. Marshals Service contracts
  • ICE is targeting immigrants in local jails, with 45 percent of all ICE arrests occurring in jails since January
  • Federal agencies are converting civil immigration matters into criminal cases
  • The Prison Policy Initiative is providing detailed data on immigration detention to reporters and advocates
  • ICE is detaining immigrants at numbers significantly higher than officially reported

Why it matters

  • This strategy circumvents sanctuary policies intended to protect immigrants
  • Local communities are unknowingly facilitating federal deportation efforts
  • The actual scale of immigrant detention is 45 percent higher than ICE's published figures
  • The approach creates a misleading impression that ICE is targeting serious criminals when most detainees have little or no criminal history
  • The report reveals how local jails have become critical infrastructure in Trump's deportation strategy

What's next

  • The report urges counties to end all collaboration with federal immigration enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, which holds contracts with nearly 1,000 local jails nationwide.

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint