CINCINNATI — Data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows just how many detainees are in local ICE facilities. The data, which was last updated earlier this month, shows detainees' average length of stay, threat levels and criminality for fiscal year 2026.
ICE puts detainees into four categories: Threat Level 1, Threat Level 2, Threat Level 3 and No ICE Threat Level. Similar to DEFCON levels, the lower the level, the higher the threat.
Threat Level 1 describes high-risk detainees who have the most serious criminal charges or more recent criminal behavior, while Threat Levels 2 and 3 describe moderate to low-level criminal charges. No ICE Threat Level means the detainee has no criminal history.
At the Butler County Jail, ICE listed 362 detainees as the average daily population for the fiscal year 2026. Of those detainees, 24 are considered a Threat Level 1. However, an average of 283 detainees (78%) are listed as having no threat level.
The Campbell County Detention Center in Newport lists 34 of its average daily population of ICE detainees as having some kind of threat level, 10 of which are at a Threat Level 1. An average of 106 detainees have no threat level — just under 76% of the facility's total.
Of the 202 detainees listed as the average daily population at the Boone County Jail, 97 (or 48%) are listed as having no threat level. This jail has the largest average of detainees with a Threat Level 1. In total, 40 detainees are listed as Threat Level 1, 35 are Level 2 and 30 are Level 3.
The Kenton County Jail, which only detains men, lists 45 members of its average daily population as having some sort of threat level — 10 as a Level 1, 15 as Level 2 and 20 as Level 3. ICE says an average of 67 (60%) have no threat level.
In total, around 67% of the average daily population at all of the Tri-State's facilities have no threat level.
Of the four local facilities, detainees at the Campbell County Detention Center have the longest average length of stay, remaining in jail for around 63 days. Boone County Jail's average length of stay is 54 days, while Kenton County is 40 days and Butler County is 30 days.
