A Phelps County official said the $85 a night the federal government paid per detainee wasn't covering the increased costs of transportation and additional paperwork.

The Phelps County Jail will no longer take in new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees effective September 1. The jail will continue to hold detainees brought in before then until they are transferred to another facility.

"It's Sheriff Mike Kirn's decision, and we support it," said Joey Auxier, the presiding commissioner of the Phelps County Commission. "He runs the jail, and he does a good job. It's his call."

The federal government reimburses jails $85 a night to house detainees, including those brought in by the U.S. Marshall or military police. But people arrested by ICE require more labor due to transpor

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