As the Trump administration expands detention capacity for a sweeping deportation campaign, small Missouri counties like Ozark are capitalizing. Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin signed a new ICE contract that pays $110 per detainee per night and covers transport costs. The deal boosted jail staffing and wages in one of Missouri’s poorest areas.
Missouri now has three ICE detention sites—up from none in early 2024—with Ozark expected to be added soon. Nationwide, ICE contracts rose from 107 to 147 since Trump took office. Still, concerns over detainee oversight persist, especially in rural jails lacking legal and medical infrastructure.
The Phelps County Jail, recently expanded to 400 beds, reported a detainee death in April. Brayan Garzón, a 27-year-old Colombian migrant, died by suicide after medical and mental health delays. Federal and state investigations are ongoing.
Martin acknowledges the moral complexity but says detainees in Ozark receive humane treatment: “They are human beings… I promise that I can give them a safe place to put their head at night.”
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