Lexington Co. jail screens inmates for illegal immigrants
6-month-old partnership with federal authorities has led to 134 deportations
By NOELLE PHILLIPS - nophillips@thestate.com


Push pins dot a map on the wall at the Lexington County Detention Center, with the largest cluster sitting in Mexico.

But pins also stick in Germany, the Sudan, the Philippines and Morocco.

The pins represent the home countries of people booked into the Lexington County jail since September. That’s when Sheriff James Metts, who oversees the jail, signed an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that gives the sheriff authority to investigate the citizenship status of anyone booked into the facility.

A map hangs on the wall marked with push pins of all the home countries ICE has deported inmates from Lexington County Detention Center. The numbers on the larger pins illustrate the greater numbers of deported illegals in those areas.

Correction officer Kevin Farley checks the scans of finger prints as they are transmitted to the computer while correction officer Melissa Lyons finger prints the inmate. The Lexington County Detention Center checks the immigration status of everyone booked at the jail. They are able to do this becuase the sheriff entered into an agreement with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, which provided computer equipment and training for two jail guards to be able to identify people.

Inmates that have been processed are held into the ICE pods for up to 72 hours before being picked up by the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement.

Correction officer Kevin Farley walks an inmate to his holding pod after being processed to await his deportation. The Lexington County Detention Center checks the immigration status of everyone booked at the jail. They are able to do this becuase the sheriff entered into an agreement with U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, which provided computer equipment and training for two jail guards to be able to identify people.


Since the program began, detention center officers have identified 280 illegal immigrants, who have been placed in ICE custody, according to statistics released by the Sheriff’s Department. Of those, 134 have been deported.

The agreement between ICE and Lexington County allows Metts to quickly identify illegal immigrants and move them toward deportation. Illegal immigrants contribute to the county’s crime problem, Metts said, and he thinks they are part of the reason his jail is overcrowded.

“Just by being the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, without the database, equipment or training, we wouldn’t be able to do that,â€