Pro Publica Investigation: "These Local Jails Were Supposed to Detain Immigrants for Only 72 Hours. One Woman Was Held for a Total of 26 Days."
Investigation by Pro Publica finds that jails are keeping immigrants detained for longer than the 72 hours allowed by law.
Specifically, looking at rebookings in Florida jails, Pro Publica found that rebookings were being used to unlawfully extend detention times beyond 72 hours.
In Orlando, the Orange County Jail rebooked 559 immigrants two or more times from July 2025 until early February 2026.
In the Tampa Bay area, the Pinellas Jail rebooked 174 immigrants at least twice from July 2025 until July 2026.
Two former Department of Homeland Security officials interviewed by the authors described the repeated rebookings as an attempt to evade detention standards.
