Immigration detainees at Middlesex County jail may move within 10 days
By GENE RACZ • STAFF WRITER • October 4, 2009

Read Comments(1)

MIDDLESEX COUNTY — County and federal officials say the 45 federal detainees still being held at the Middlesex County jail on behalf of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, are expected to be relocated within the next five to 10 business days.



Their imminent transfer comes on the heels of the county's decision Thursday to end its contract with ICE, which allowed detainees to be held in the North Brunswick facility.

The contract was projected to generate upwards of $5 million in 2009. At its peak, the county jail housed more than 150 detainees at once and received a daily stipend of $100 from ICE for each detainee.

At the heart of the county's decision to end the contract was a federal provision called “Section 287(g),â€