In Kentucky, most undocumented immigrants targeted for deportation are identified through partnerships between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE and local law enforcement. As Jeremy Bacon, the assistant field office director for ICE, explained, ICE primarily finds undocumented individuals through arrests made within Kentucky’s jails.
When individuals, especially foreign-born, are taken into custody, ICE screens their records to determine if they have violated any immigration laws or have criminal convictions that make them subject to removal.
While ICE focuses on individuals who are considered a public safety threat, there’s no current policy in place regarding mass deportations as proposed by former President Donald Trump.
Bacon acknowledged that ICE’s resources are limited, with 27 law enforcement officers in Kentucky dedicated to immigration enforcement. In fiscal year 2023, a total of 142,580 removals from the U.S. were conducted nationwide, but specific deportation figures for Kentucky weren’t provided.
The process for mass deportation, if implemented, would likely involve identification, arrest, detention, and removal, but it remains uncertain whether ICE has the personnel and resources to carry out such widespread enforcement.