Boone County Jail holds the highest average daily population of immigration detainees in Kentucky, and a statewide advocacy group wants county leaders to disclose who they're holding and why.

The League of Women Voters of Kentucky released a report Sept. 8, titled "Kentucky Jails Working with ICE." The group also sent letters to officials in 13 counties, including Boone, demanding transparent inmate lists and proof that detainees' rights are being protected, the NKY Tribune reported.

Boone County Jail averaged 211 people in ICE custody daily, according to the report, which drew on ICE data from July 20. Of those, 133, or 63%, had no criminal convictions. Seven were women.

The jail applied 193 ICE holds or detainers between March 2025 and February 2026, more than any other Kentucky facility in that period.

As of Aug. 20, the jail reported a total population of 424 against a bed capacity of 424, with 196 federal inmates. The report noted the jail would not be at capacity without its federal population.

Becky Jones, first vice president of the League of Women Voters of Kentucky, told Spectrum News that the group supports the government's right to deport people with criminal charges. "We're just saying, tell us who these people are, and if they don't have criminal charges, why are you holding them?" Jones said.

The report found that Boone County Jail does include ICE detainees on its public inmate roster, unlike Campbell and Kenton county jails, which the League described as "secret incarceration." But the report also said Boone's roster does not clearly show ICE hold status.

Neither the Boone County Jail nor the Boone County Sheriff's Department has a formal 287(g) agreement with ICE, a type of partnership that lets local officers enforce federal immigration law. Boone County Judge/Executive Gary W. Moore said at a Feb. 10 Fiscal Court meeting that the jail has a "long-standing positive relationship with the US Marshal Service of nearly 40 years." Moore said the Fiscal Court subsidizes the jail by $5.5 million in the current budget year.

Moore also said the Fiscal Court "does not have any direct oversight or authority with respect to federal immigration policy" and that the elected county jailer holds primary responsibility for jail operations.

Boone County Jailer Jason Maydak said in a written statement read at a June 2026 Fiscal Court meeting that the jail is reimbursed at exact cost for housing federal prisoners and is not permitted to make a profit. The daily rate is $88 per detainee, according to the League's report.

At a June 28 Fiscal Court meeting, Commissioner Chet Hand pushed back on residents who had been pressing the court on the issue. "I believe our policies are adequate, I believe our inspections are clean and sufficient, I believe our budget is adequate," Hand said at the time, adding that people with concerns should address them directly with the jailer.

No response from Boone County officials to the League's Sept. 8 letters has been reported. The League said it plans to communicate directly with county elected officials going forward, though no deadline or next meeting date has been set.

Statewide, the number of Kentucky law enforcement agencies with 287(g) agreements rose from 16 in November 2025 to 54 as of Sept. 8, according to Spectrum News. Twelve Kentucky jails are being paid to house ICE detainees, and the League's report found most of those held have no criminal convictions.