US News
Florida local jails repeatedly rebooked immigrants to bypass federal detention limits, analysis shows
Orange and Pinellas county jails held hundreds of civil immigration detainees beyond the 72-hour limit by releasing and immediately readmitting them.
The short version
- An analysis of federal immigration data revealed that county jails in Orange and Pinellas counties in Florida frequently rebooked immigrants held for ICE to evade federal 72-hour detention limits.
- Orange County Jail rebooked 559 immigrants two or more times between July 2025 and February 2026, while Pinellas County Jail rebooked 174 immigrants at least twice between July 2025 and July 2026.
- The Department of Homeland Security defended the practice, stating that ICE makes custody determinations based on available bed space and that detainees receive due process.
- Orange County halted the practice in February 2026 following public opposition from local activists, lawyers, and religious groups, while the practice in Pinellas County ceased around July 2026.
Key facts
- Jails in Pinellas and Orange counties in Florida had unusually high volumes of repeat rebookings of immigrants held for ICE compared to facilities elsewhere in the nation.[ProPublica]
- The Orange County Jail rebooked 559 immigrants two or more times from July 2025 until early February 2026, when the practice stopped.[ProPublica]
- The Pinellas County Jail rebooked 174 immigrants at least twice from July 2025 until July 2026.[ProPublica]
- One Mexican woman was rebooked 10 times into the Pinellas County Jail, spending a cumulative 26 days in detention.[ProPublica]
- At least 29 immigrants held for ICE in Orange or Pinellas counties filed emergency federal habeas corpus petitions challenging their detention.[ProPublica]
- A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that ICE did not break any laws, attributing custody determinations to bed space availability and the need to ensure detainees appear for proceedings.[ProPublica]
- Legal experts and former DHS officials stated that the repeat rebookings are designed to circumvent federal detention regulations and civil rights protections that apply to long-term facilities.[ProPublica]