Marion County detained over 1,000 immigrants for ICE last year

The Marion County Jail held at least 1,057 people for immigration-related reasons from at least 55 different countries last year, according to a WFYI analysis of local law enforcement data.

The findings come as the Trump administration intensifies immigration enforcement operations and Indiana leaders make it state policy to support those efforts. The data shows a steady pipeline of enforcement is already occurring inside the Indianapolis criminal justice system, impacting the state’s immigrant communities.

WFYI obtained the 2025 data through a public records request to provide a clearer picture of how people move through the immigration enforcement process in the local jail. The data shows that hundreds of people were flagged for federal custody.

In January, Marion County Sheriff Kerry Forestal announced that the jail had reached capacity and would no longer hold people for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement beyond 48 hours.

Who’s being held in the local jail? 

The analysis shows that nearly 89% of people being held were nationals of at least 15 different countries in Latin America. 

People from Mexico made up the greatest share — 402 people, or 38%. After that, 115 people from Guatemala and 114 from Venezuela made up the next highest shares. The data also identified people from countries as far-reaching as India, Haiti and Russia.

While nearly all of those held were men, the data shows three women were also detained for immigration reasons last year. 

The average age was about 34 years old.
 

The role the sheriff’s office plays in immigration

The sheriff’s office says that the people it holds for immigration enforcement were primarily arrested by other agencies and are awaiting transfer by different agencies to their facilities.

There are two primary ways the Marion County Jail holds individuals for federal authorities.

The first is a federal agreement that allows the jail to house inmates for the U.S. Marshals Service. This years-long agreement allocates up to 149 beds, Sheriff Kerry Forestal told WFYI in January.

The second method is an immigration detainer.

A detainer is a request from ICE asking the jail to maintain custody of a person who is already booked on criminal charges. The request asks the jail to hold them for up to 48 hours after they would have otherwise been released — such as after posting bail or finishing a sentence — to give ICE time to pick them up.

“Indiana law requires [the jail] to honor all detainer requests,” the sheriff’s office wrote. Marion County does not have an agreement with ICE, such as the agency’s partnership program with local law enforcement.

ICE was listed as the arresting agency for 94.8% of the bookings.
 

Length of stay and local impact

Once the jail receives a detainer via email, the sheriff’s office places a hold on the individual, according to the office. When the person is eligible for release, the jail notifies ICE that they are ready for pickup

On average, people were detained by the sheriff’s office for about 22 days. While many stays were short, one man from India was held for 222 days, the longest stay in the 2025 data.

The jail released most people to federal custody.

If ICE does not pick up the individual within the 48-hour window, the jail’s current policy is to release them. However, if a hold is placed by a different federal agency, the person may be held longer. Thirty-seven people had been booked into the jail two times.

WFYI is reporting on the local impacts of immigration policy. If you have a tip or want to get in touch, contact data journalist Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org