ICE detainees arrive at jail scared and alone. So Rolla activists are stepping up

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jonathan Ahl, Brian Munoz
Published June 30, 2025 at 5:00 a.m. CDT

As the Trump administration’s efforts at mass deportation continue, tens of thousands of people have been picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and put in jail to await legal proceedings that could send them out of the country.

Since March 19, more than 200 of them have been detained at the Phelps County Jail in Rolla. Some are there for only one day, while others have been detained for more than two months. They arrive with no possessions and limited ability to contact their loved ones.

Now activists have come together to try to provide comfort, assistance and, in some cases, clean underwear to the detainees.

They’re known as Abide In Love, a group of about 50 Phelps County residents whose mission is to “support immigrants in our community.” In a county where more than 70% of voters cast ballots for Donald Trump in the last presidential election, they are opposed to President Trump's immigration policies, but are choosing to work within existing frameworks of the justice system to try to make things a little bit better for detainees in Rolla..…