These Local Jails Were Supposed to Detain Immigrants for Only 72 Hours. One Woman Was Held for a Total of 26 Days.

Every dawn, Soumia Bensalah was awakened at an ungodly hour. Detained in the Pinellas County Jail in Florida, she was shackled and transported to a cramped cell at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, shackled again. For five consecutive days in December, this grueling procedure was repeated, leaving her exhausted and humiliated.

Bensalah, a French-Moroccan woman with a pending green card application, was denied release and sent back to the jail within 72 hours, a standard limit imposed to prevent excessive incarceration of immigrants in facilities meant for criminal detainees. The jail, citing federal regulations, refused to disclose the logs detailing her ordeal.

ProPublica obtained these logs anonymously, revealing the pattern of repeat rebookings in Pinellas and Orange counties, where jails colluded with ICE to circumvent federal rules. This excessive rebooking stems from the shortage of detention space, especially in Florida, where law enforcement agencies often collaborate with ICE. The Orange County Jail topped the list with 559 repeat rebookings from 2025 to early 2026, while Pinellas had 174.

These practices violate federal detention standards, denying immigrants essential medical care, legal consultations, and outdoor access. Bensalah, initially arrested for battery alongside her U.S. citizen husband, was held in Pinellas County Jail due to an ICE detainer. Instead of transferring her to a longer-term detention facility, ICE moved her to Pinellas, where her rebookings began.

Despite arguments that these actions are lawful, legal experts criticize the repeated rebookings as an attempt to evade detention standards, ensuring detainees are present for immigration proceedings or removal.