Etowah County negotiates increased rate to house ICE Detainees

The U.S. Marshals Service and the Etowah County Commission  have negotiated A new daily reimbursement rate for housing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the Etowah county detention center..

The amount the Etowah County Detention Center is paid for housing ICE detainees will go from $40 to $45 a day under the new agreement.

The agreement will go into effect once both agencies have signed the agreement.

With about 300 detainees, officials say the raise would mean about $547,500 per year..

Officials said the money will be used to maintain and upgrade the facility, keeping in compliance with national standards and other requirements.

The rate paid to the Etowah County Detention Center is among the lowest in the nation paid to a facility to house detainees.