In the past 20 years, the sign has been up and down several times to some extent depending on presidential leadership, but it was always in “storage” in an office at the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.
“Originally the government said there were no illegal aliens. They said they don’t know where they are at. So I put that giant sign up with an arrow pointing to the jail in case they couldn’t find them. I let them know they were in my jail,” Jones said. “They are still in my (expletive) jail.”
For years, the Butler County Sheriff’s Office had 287(g) status that permitted the jail to house U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prisoners and work with the federal government to enforce federal immigration laws.
That stopped in 2021 when Jones ended the contract with ICE that included housing detainees in the Butler County Jail who are awaiting immigration hearings.
Two days after President Donald Trump was re-elected, Jones said he was in contact with ICE and has met with officials to get that status back.
“It is a slow process, but it is getting quicker,” the sheriff said.
Three weeks into Trump’s second term, thousands of people across the country have been arrested or detained by ICE.
Jones said they have not been brought to his jail, “because we are not approved for ICE prisoners, yet.”
But there are prisoners in the county jail who have ICE holders because they are alleged to be in the country illegally. All were arrested on state charges.
“They are here on state charges and they (ICE) come get them when the are done in our court system,” Jones said. He estimated last year 1,400 illegal immigrants were housed in the Butler County Jail on state charges.
“But the sign isn’t new,” Jones said. “I am transparent about how I feel and enforcing the law. I have been talking about this or 20 years.”
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