West Virginia has long turned federal prisoners into state revenue.

In January 2026, during Operation Country Roads, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and state and local law enforcement detained roughly 600 immigrants across West Virginia.

Many of those arrested were held in the state’s already overpopulated jail system, which until this spring was part of a national network of immigrant detention centers.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.