Trump's plan won't impact jail

TIFFIN — The Seneca County Jail, long a center where Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are held, might not see much operational change as President Donald J. Trump steps up deportation efforts, according to Sheriff Fred Stevens. "Nothing will change for us as far as the process we currently have in place with the ICE detainees," Stevens said. "The ones who are here and the ones who we keep getting, all receive video hearings with their attorneys and video hearings with a magistrate that determines their individual cases." That takes about 50 days for each detainee while their process plays out. "It is unknown whether this will stay the same or speed up or be extended with all the new cases that could be coming," Steven said. "Our role stays the same where we have bed space set aside for detainees." The jail receives $90 per inmate per day, Stevens said. For the period April 2022 through December 2024 the jail was paid almost $5.3 million to house detainees, he said. "Currently we have 62 detainees, but that number fluctuates daily. In 2023, our daily average was 62 ICE Detainees," Stevens said. From 2005-2024 the jail invoiced the U.S. government about $31.9 million to house detainees, Steven said. The sheriff said Trump's mass deportation plan, if it's implemented likely will not affect the jail's housing situation. The jail will likely continue providing support services. "I do not believe that housing detainees will be going away anytime soon," he said. "I believe that with the numbers floating around out there in the millions there will be a need for housing detainees into the future for a few years."