Nye County: ‘No desire’ to revive deal with ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is down to three Nevada contracts for detention facilities since Nye County lost a medical services provider at its jail in November, a stipulation mandated by the federal government, according to county officials.

And while the jail has since secured a new medical provider contract — which went into effect this week — there are no ongoing discussions about re-entering an agreement with ICE, Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill said Monday.

“I don’t think that the county has the need or desire to get back in with ICE,” the sheriff said. That’s because, according to McGill, the agreement wasn’t as financially beneficiary to the county “like they thought it would be.”

ICE did not immediately respond to a media inquiry seeking comment.

‘Are we subsidizing ICE?’

The financial implications were discussed by Nye County commissioners on Nov. 15, leading to a 5-0 vote from the board to “discontinue” the ICE contract.

ICE paid Nye County between roughly $2.2 to $2.5 million a year beginning in 2020 for detention services. But overall costs to operate the facility had steadily increased in the years since the agreement, according to the county.

The Pahrump jail can house 185 inmates and held an average of 64 detainees for ICE who stayed an average of 37 days before the contract ended, County Comptroller Helen Bae said.

Bae cited rising costs to medical care, food services and hikes to indirect expenses such as wages and janitorial services, adding that the county has had to dip into the general fund to make ends meet.

“We should re-look at the cost and benefit of whether or not ICE is subsidizing us, or are we subsidizing ICE,” she told commissioners.

At that time, former Commissioner Donna Cox said she had always opposed the contract.

“I don’t think it’s to anybody’s advantage, except ICE,” she said. “It’s not doing the people and the taxpayers in Nye County anything except taking advantage of us.”

Cox noted that there’s already a private detention center for immigrants in Pahrump.

A rising population means that “our jails might just fill up within a few years and we’re going to do with our own prisoners,” Cox said.

Contract terminated, inspector general’s report

The jail entered an agreement with ICE in 2019. It expired on June, 1, 2024, but was extended through November with temporary resolutions, according to the county.

The Pahrump jail was one of four Nevada facilities contracted to ICE, including the Henderson Detention Center, the Washoe County Jail and the privately-run Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump.

ICE terminated the contract with Nye County three days after the county vote, the Department of Homeland Security said. It followed an unannounced inspection at the jail determined that the facility was not up to federal immigration-related standards, according to the federal agency.

McGill told commissioners that ICE picked up 52 inmates within hours after the medical services contract ended. Nye County officials said other health care providers stepped up temporarily.

A federal inspector general’s report published in May said all 60 of the people were eventually transferred by the jail by Nov. 5.

The report offered 11 recommendations. The jail was compliant with stipulations regarding classification, access to legal services, segregation and use of force, the report said.

“However, facility and ICE staff did not fully comply with standards related to medical care, grievances, staff-detainee communication, facility conditions, and telephone access,” the report said.

The report alleged that staff fell short on transfer medical screenings and follow-ups on “abnormal vital signs and other health complaints.”

Added the report: “Staff did not always provide timely responses to detainee grievances and requests. Finally, telephones in detainee housing units did not work, preventing detainees from making calls to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, free legal service providers, consular officials, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.”

The department closed the recommendations when the contract ended.

No further reporting is necessary,” the report said. “If ICE signs a new contract and resumes housing detainees at Nye, we reserve the option to reopen all recommendations.”

An earlier version of this story misspelled Nye County Comptroller Helen Bae’s name, incorrectly identified former Commissioner Donna Cox and misidentified the Nye County Jail.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.