This story was originally produced by the Portsmouth Herald. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
The Rockingham County Board of Commissioners has received a 33-page contract from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house detainees in the county jail. But the future of the deal remains uncertain as one Republican says he may vote no with his decisive vote.
If approved by a vote of the three county commissioners, the jail would house — for at most five years — up to 150 adult men at a rate of $151.66 per person per day. Federal immigration authorities would also pay for the cost of guards, mileage reimbursement, and a Voluntary Work Program — which allows detainees to work for $1 per day.
The county could see a financial windfall from a deal: $6 million in profit, according to early estimates.
The commission’s lone Democrat, Kathryn Coyle of Portsmouth, said her opposition to partnering with ICE remains resolute. The commissioners, she said, are awaiting a financial analysis of the contract.
Continue reading this story at Seacoastonline.