After action was taken at Christian Fiscal Court Tuesday, Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam made an appearance on WHOP Radio Wednesday to morning to talk about what concerns the community may have.
With the approval of an expansion to their healthcare services, the Christian County Jail now has the go-ahead to begin housing detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That has caused a string of questions and concerns in the community, which Judge Gilliam says is understandable. He believes the jail is capable of housing the additional, potentially up to 100, ICE detainees.
There may be around 250 Christian County inmates, but the local jail also houses inmates for Trigg County, Graves County, state and federal inmates and typically has around 700 individuals housed in its walls, according to Gilliam.
He says the federal government would pay the Christian County Jail to house these individuals, and even with the increase to round-the-clock care, that would result in a profit. Judge Gilliam says every dollar the jail generates that doesn’t have to come from County Government, is money that can go to a different priority, such as infrastructure.
Gilliam says this does not indicate that any ICE raids will be happening in this community, and these folks would not be released here—they would be housed here only temporarily.
He says they also have more savings for healthcare costs at the jail by using the Opioid Settlement Funds.
On top of a place to sleep and food, the Christian County Jail is also responsible for providing healthcare, transportation to court proceedings and doctor appointments, including out-of-state, clothing and personal hygiene items, while also providing educational services such as GED workshops, the Substance Abuse Program, religious services, programs to help mental health and much more.