An analysis by ACLU-WV and Dragline said Operation Country Roads, a targeted immigration crackdown
in January, ‘looked little to nothing like how it was described to the public.’
By Amelia Ferrell Knisely for West Virginia Watch
A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia said that numerous statements made by state officials about a winter immigration crackdown in West Virginia were false or misleading. Three-quarters of the people arrested during the 15-day immigration arrest – called “Operation Country Roads” – had no criminal record, the group said.
“This analysis of ICE data shows the operation looked little to nothing like how it was described to the public,” ACLU-WV Executive Director Eli Baumwell said. “Records show zero detentions for sexual assault or any crime involving children and just two of the 593 arrests in West Virginia were for drug possession – both of which were misdemeanors.”
Under the direction of Gov. Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia has participated in the federal 287(g) program that allows specially-trained police officers and jails to perform specified immigration enforcement functions under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s oversight.
It’s one of the most wide-ranging agreements a state has forged with ICE under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Morrisey also directed the West Virginia National Guard and the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation to participate in the immigration detainment program.
In January, ICE and local law enforcement announced the arrests of more than 600 undocumented individuals in West Virginia during a two-week surge earlier in the month. The event was dubbed “Operation Country Roads.”
A press release from ICE quoted Gov. Patrick Morrisey as saying the arrests “removed dangerous illegal immigrants from our communities and made our state safer for families and law-abiding citizens.”
The ACLU-WV on Monday said they found several false claims made by officials about the operations’ success.” The 23-page report was written by Kyle Vass of Dragline, a publication supported by ACLU-WV; he analyzed arrest records obtained by the Deportation Data Project via the Freedom of Information Act about the 15-day crackdown.
“The dataset shows zero convictions involving children, zero convictions for endangering the welfare of a child, and two misdemeanor drug-possession convictions, despite the press release placing child sex abuse, child endangerment, and drug crimes at the center of its narrative,” the report said.
The ACLU-WV also said the government inflated the total number of West Virginia arrests by about 10%, claiming 650 people were arrested in the state.
“Records indicate the actual number was 593. The remaining arrests occurred in Pennsylvania,” according to ACLU-WV’s findings.
The report also highlighted how the immigration arrests contributed to additional overcrowding in West Virginia jails, which has been reported by West Virginia Watch since the state began its participation in the 287g program.
West Virginia has been renting jail beds to ICE for $90 a day.
“At the peak of Operation Country Roads, 336 people were crammed into West Virginia’s jails on ICE detainers (seven times the 48-bed cap the state had contracted to provide ICE),” the ACLU-WV report said.
Federal judges have ordered the immediate release of numerous immigrant detainees – many without criminal records – who were held without due process then put in West Virginia jails.
In March, U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin issued “a final notice” to the federal government over continued unlawful detaining of immigrants in West Virginia while ordering the release of another immigrant detainee.
Shortly after, the state’s regional jail system suspended accepting immigrant detainees.
Vass also analyzed 10,729 ICE detention records and 2,772 arrest records generated between Sept. 30, 2022, through Mar. 10, 2026, for all ICE detentions where a person was detained in or sent to a West Virginia detention facility.
“Since the inauguration, the profile of the average ICE detainee in a West Virginia jail is far less likely to have a criminal history,” the report said. “Before Jan. 20, 2025, 90% of people detained through West Virginia facilities had prior criminal convictions. After, 17% did.”
West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.
