The Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio (CCNO) board has approved a contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), granting the federal agency access to up to 96 beds and transportation resources at the regional jail.
Under the agreement, ICE will be able to house detainees at CCNO and use transportation services to move them to and from the facility.
Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken, who also serves on the CCNO board, voted against the contract, voicing concerns about its impact on the jail’s operations.
“We have a very well-run institution right now,” Gerken said. “Our facility is working well for our five county members, and ICE wants to interfere with that because it is in dire need of space to fulfill a political order. That sounds like a them problem, not an us problem.”
CCNO serves five counties: Lucas, Defiance, Henry, Williams, and Fulton. The 10-member board, which includes a commissioner and sheriff from each county, voted 8-2 in favor of the contract. Gerken and Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre cast the only opposing votes.
