‘It’s inhumane’: ICE detainees to be held at Riverside Regional Jail

PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Riverside Regional Jail has entered into a new agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allowing the facility to house individuals in ICE custody.

The 7-page contract, signed on May 8, confirms that ICE detainees can now be held at the jail. However, much of the agreement is redacted and key operational details remain unclear.

“This is insane to be placing people there that are detained for civil immigration proceedings," said immigration attorney Soulmaz Taghavi. “Riverside is a facility that is meant to detain people that have been accused of pretty serious crimes.”

The contact also states that “no public disclosures regarding this agreement” can be made without ICE approval. This means neither the jail nor its subcontractors are permitted to release information about the agreement without federal authorization.

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“It’s a public safety concern,” Taghavi said. “Immigration enforcement should not be commingled with people that have been convicted and are serving for crimes that they committed. It's inhumane.”

It is currently unknown how many detainees will be housed at the facility or how long they will be kept there. It is also unclear whether ICE detainees will be held separately from the jail’s general inmate population.

Riverside Regional Jail has a 1,500-bed capacity and it houses inmates from seven localities: Prince George, Charles City, Chesterfield and Surry counties, as well as the cities of Hopewell, Petersburg and Colonial Heights.

The facility recorded 12 inmate deaths between 2022 and 2024, per a Virginia Board of Local and Regional Jails review released in July.

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Taghavi said she has visited the jail a few times in the past.

“It is, like many jails, not a warm or cozy place to be,” Taghavi said.