Jones said two men working construction on renovation and expansion projects in the jail were found to be immigrants in the country illegally.
“I’ve talked about people coming to the work sites, they’re doing it in different spots in the country, and people have asked me ‘when are they gonna start doing work site enforcement in Butler County?‘” said Jones. “Well, the day came on Wednesday, March the 26.”
Jones said the construction site is in the back of a secured facility inside the jail, where everyone who enters is required to go through security and present identification. He also pointed out that ICE agents work and have office space in the jail.
“You wouldn’t think two illegal aliens would show fake ID and go through the security to get into the Butler County jail, but that’s exactly what happened,” said Jones. “You can’t make this up, now. They drove past the sign, they know who I am, they know what this is about and we had two illegals that came into the jail.”
The sign Jones mentioned is a controversial display he re-posted outside the jail in January that reads “Illegal Aliens Here,” with a giant arrow that points toward the jail.
The identification used by the two men were “some of the best fakes I ever seen,” said Jones.
The Butler County Jail has been undergoing expansion and renovation work to build out a new medical area. According to a request for bids document on the Butler County Sheriff’s website, bids for the project were most recently open through May 2024.
Jones did not name the company that was hired to perform the work on the Butler County Jail; he also did not name the two people he said his officers arrested, instead directing people to ICE for more information.
He did say the two men were arrested Wednesday, and that they were “a father/son duo.”
Jones did not give any information on how long the men had been working in the jail before they were discovered.
The Journal-News has reached out to ICE for more information.
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