ACLU of Kentucky report says ICE detainer requests surged 300% after Louisville reinstated detention policy

Louisville immigration policy changed last year after Mayor Craig Greenberg reinstated a detention approach that, according to an American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky report released Thursday, led to a dramatic increase in federal requests to hold people detained so U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can take custody. The ACLU said the shift resulted in a 300% increase in ICE detainer requests following the policy change, framing the data as a measurable effect on who is held and for how long in local custody.

The ACLU report ties the policy reversal to complaints from the Trump administration, according to the Kentucky Lantern’s report on Thursday’s release. The report characterizes the administration’s position as prompting local action by city leadership. It also describes the detainer request process as one that links local jail decisions to federal immigration enforcement, raising questions about how long people can be held after local charges.

ACLU of Kentucky’s findings appear to focus on changes in the volume of detainer requests to Louisville after the mayor’s reinstatement of the detention policy. The report’s central figure, a 300% increase, is presented as the key comparison between the period before and after the policy change. The Kentucky Lantern’s account does not detail the underlying totals in the story’s summary, nor does it break out whether the requests resulted in actual federal custody transfers, what charges were pending locally, or how long individuals were held.

The ACLU report and its presentation also raise due-process and public-safety questions that often accompany detainer disputes, especially when local agencies are deciding whether to honor federal requests in cases involving people who may or may not be convicted of local offenses. The Kentucky Lantern’s report is framed around the operational consequence of the policy, describing detainer requests as the mechanism that can prolong detention for people the federal government seeks to take into custody.

Greenberg’s 2025 decision to reinstate the policy is described by the Kentucky Lantern as reversing limits on honoring federal detention requests. The Kentucky Lantern’s summary does not state whether the policy included specific criteria, time limits, or courtroom review procedures, and it does not indicate whether any lawsuits or formal policy reviews have already been filed in response to the change. As reported, the analysis is centered on reported changes in the pattern of ICE detainer requests rather than on individual case outcomes.

If the ACLU’s figures are accurate, the operational effect could be felt by Louisville’s jail population and by families and attorneys who may face longer detention timelines while awaiting federal action. The next steps will likely involve public questions from local officials and legal advocates about the standards Louisville uses when it receives detainer requests, as well as whether additional transparency is needed on how many requests are received, honored, declined, and followed by custody transfers to federal authorities.

Because this story is based on the ACLU report’s release and the Kentucky Lantern’s coverage, the underlying methodology, time windows, and whether detainers were accepted in all cases are matters for direct review of the report itself. City responses, if any, and any competing data from federal or local agencies would also be relevant for understanding how the 300% figure should be interpreted in practice.