An Ohio jail that holds ICE detainees is expanding amid accusations of overcrowding.
Concerns over poor conditions at the Butler County Jail prompted three Columbus-area Democrats to call for further inspections last month. The jail, helmed by a Trump-loving sheriff, has been the target of anti-ICE protests and renewed its agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in February 2025.
The Enquirer looked into lawmakers’ claims and inspection reports. Here’s what we found.
How is the Butler County Jail set up?
Butler County operates three different jail facilities in Hamilton, according to the sheriff’s office: the Corrections Center on Hanover Street, Resolutions Jail on Second Street, and the Court Street Jail on Court Street.
The Corrections Center holds the most people − including ICE detainees − while the other two handle overflow from the main jail.
How many people can the Butler County Jail hold?
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, or DRC, set the following capacity recommendations for each building:
The total capacity across all three facilities is 1,244 people.
Is the Butler County Jail overcrowded?
The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction inspected Butler County’s Corrections Center in July 2025 and found it had 805 people − more than the state’s previous recommended capacity of 756.
But around the time of the inspection, the agency also granted Butler County’s request to increase its capacity from 756 to 850, according to records obtained by The Enquirer.
In a January letter to the three Democrats, DRC Director Annette Chambers-Smith said all three jails have remained consistently below capacity. The jail’s total inmate population was 1,065 as of Feb. 3, according to its website.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones, who has been sheriff for more than two decades, called lawmakers’ overcrowding accusations “bulls—-.”
“They said we were 300 over our capacity, which is not true. We’re 300 under our capacity,” he told The Enquirer. “They think we have one jail. We actually have three. We’ve never been over capacity, ever. We don’t have anybody sleeping on the floor.”
Why did Butler County ask for increased capacity?
The county regularly asks for permission to house more people, and the state reevaluates its request annually, Chambers-Smith said.
This time, Jones said the jail requested an increase because it is “in the process of opening a new jail.”
An existing building attached to the Resolutions facility, which was previously used as a jail, will be used to hold more inmates.
Did the state find any violations at the Butler County Jail?
The July inspection did find one violation. Ohio requires jails to serve the same meal to inmates, and Butler’s “warden burger” − a sandwich served as punishment to people in solitary confinement − breaks that rule.
Butler County has been cited for the meal in multiple inspections but has never been penalized. A Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokesperson said Jones hasn’t submitted a plan of action to correct the violation.
Are ICE detainees housed with other inmates?
In their letter, Democrats also raised concerns about ICE detainees being housed with other inmates at the jail.
“This practice raises significant questions about appropriate classification, the delivery of specialized services required for immigration detainees, and whether proper protocols are being followed to ensure the safety and appropriate treatment of both populations,” they wrote.
Most ICE detainees are held in a separate housing pod, Jones said. But all inmates are classified by charge or conviction, and some pods hold both ICE and other inmates. For example, a housing pod that holds people with violent charges might hold both regular and ICE inmates, if the ICE inmates are charged with violent crimes.
Chambers-Smith said keeping ICE detainees with other inmates doesn’t violate the state’s jail standards, which prioritize housing based on security level and health concerns.
An ICE spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether ICE detainees are allowed to be housed with other inmates.
What other concerns did lawmakers raise?
Concerns about overcrowding and other conditions at the Butler County Jail boiled over late last year. Ayman Soliman, an imam from Egypt, was held by immigration officials for 73 days and said he experienced frigid temperatures and was forced to strip in front of other detainees.
The Columbus-area Democrats ‒ Sen. Bill DeMora and Reps. Christine Cockley and Mark Sigrist ‒ said they’d “received credible reports of severe heating deficiencies during the winter months,” among other concerns.
State investigators visited the Butler County Jail in December in response to claims of overcrowding and improper medical treatment but didn’t identify any violations, records show. In her January letter, Chambers-Smith said the agency hadn’t received complaints about heating problems at the facility.
Democrats have called on DRC to conduct unannounced inspections at the Butler County Jail, arguing advance notice gives the jail time to disguise any problems.
They also plan to introduce legislation that would require detention facilities to provide adequate clothing, religious materials, prompt medical care and three hot, nutritionally-balanced meals a day.
“Despite what our Republican colleagues may claim, Democrats do not support lawlessness,” Rep. Ashley Bryant Bailey, a Cincinnati Democrat, said during a Feb. 3 news conference. “We support dignity and safety for those who follow the law and humane, accountable process for those who do not.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio jail expands capacity amid ICE overcrowding concerns
Reporting by Victoria Moorwood and Haley BeMiller, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
