ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County Jail was holding 380 inmates with immigration detainers as of Tuesday morning, according to a county spokesperson.
The new data, provided to News 6 Tuesday afternoon, comes amid heightened attention on immigration enforcement in Central Florida.
“I’m just disturbed by what’s happening in our world,” Teri Rupert told News 6 as she protested along John Young Parkway in Kissimmee on Tuesday.
Rupert joined about two dozen other protesters who voiced their concerns about operations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the region.
Last Friday, News 6 confirmed with ICE that the agency was eyeing a warehouse on Transport Drive to use as a possible detention facility.
[WATCH: ICE tours Orlando warehouse as possible detainment center]
Under a current agreement between Orange County and the federal government, undocumented immigrant detainees without criminal charges can be housed in Orange County Jail for up to 72 hours before they are turned over to the custody of ICE.
As of Friday, Jan. 16, there were 831 bookings in the jail with immigration holds, according to a county spokesperson, who noted that “there has been a significant number of re-bookings.”
The 380 inmates in the jail as of Tuesday morning include those who also have underlying local charges. A county spokesperson provided a breakdown:
- 203 inmates with an ICE hold with local charges
- 158 inmates with an ICE hold and no local charges
- 19 inmates with both an ICE hold and other agency detainers, with no local charges.
Internal data from the county showed that between December 2024 and December 2025, the average daily population of all inmates with ICE detainers increased from 142.8 to 295.0. That represented a 106.6% increase.
The average daily population of inmates who had ICE detainers, but neither local charges nor other agency detainers, increased from 9.0 in December 2024 to 92.7 in December 2025 — a 930.0% increase.
[WATCH: Feds owe Orange County hundreds of thousands of dollars for housing ICE inmates, officials say]
Although the warehouse that ICE representatives visited Friday is in the city of Orlando’s jurisdiction, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings stressed that ICE has not contacted the county regarding a possible detention center.
“We will continue to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement as statutorily required, as a matter of public safety and national security,” Mayor Demings said in a statement. “Any facility proposed here would require transparency, community input, and assurances that laws are enhanced with dignity and respect.”
Back at the anti-ICE demonstration in Kissimmee Tuesday, a sole counter-protester stood nearby, waving an American flag and repeatedly shouting, “Let ICE do their jobs!”
That person declined to speak to News 6, but we asked protesters about the sentiment he shared: that ICE agents are enforcing the law.
“I think there is a role for immigration [enforcement],” said protester Joshua Wood, who told News 6 he is a veteran. “Just, it needs to not be mass sweeps.”
In response to a question from News 6 about the possibility of ICE converting a warehouse into an immigration detention facility, a spokesperson with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office sent us the following in an email:
“As Governor DeSantis stated during a recent press conference at the Mayo Clinic, there is potential for additional facilities, however, DHS has not approved anything yet, and no decisions have been made. Updates will be announced once more information becomes available.”
In those remarks last week, the reporter who inquired about additional detention facilities did not mention the warehouse in Orlando. In his answer, DeSantis floated the “potential” for more facilities in the Panhandle and South Florida.
“But ultimately, we’re not going to do it unless it’s approved and unless the reimbursements are authorized,” DeSantis said. “I don’t want these things to be permanent. I want DHS to have enough staging ability where they can run these operations on their own.”
When News 6 reached out to a city of Orlando spokesperson on Tuesday about the warehouse, she pointed to her original comments on Friday, stating that the city has not received any information regarding the address.
[READ: Orange County Corrections data on jail’s average daily population with ICE detainers]