STE. GENEVIEVE COUNTY, Mo. – Members of Congress toured the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center on Thursday, raising concerns about housing immigration detainees in a county jail they said was not designed for that purpose.U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Missouri, said the jail was built to house people accused of crimes, not immigration detainees."These facilities are not made for this population," Bell said. "They were made to incarcerate folks who have been charged with crimes."Bell and U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, D-Illinois, visited the detention center as part of what they described as congressional oversight efforts.The Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center is one of four facilities in Missouri contracted to hold ICE detainees and is the closest one to St. Louis."They are drawing from counties all over northeast Missouri, St. Louis as well as southern Illinois, and anyone picked up by ICE is likely to be here from those areas," Bell said. How many data centers are in Missouri? Earlier this month, FOX 2 reported from the jail after 18-year-old high school student Paola Rodriguez-Boton was detained there.Bell said, like Rodriguez-Boton, he met with other detainees during Thursday's visit who had not committed crimes but were detained after attending recent immigration appointments.Budzinski said one detainee she spoke with was a pregnant woman from her district who was struggling to access quality prenatal care and drinking water while in custody."We need to continue to work to advocate to make sure that they're getting the full access that they deserve while they're being detained and their immigration case is being adjudicated," Budzinski said.Under its federal contract, Ste. Genevieve County is reimbursed for housing ICE detainees, though the amount is unknown. Budzinski raised concerns about possible overcrowding at the facility."If you don't have enough beds, you're reaching an overcrowding situation," she said.The jail can hold about 450 inmates. Advocates said there are approximately 150 ICE detainees housed there on an average day.In a written statement, Major Jason Schott with the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Office, said, "We had a very good meeting and tour with Rep. Bell, Rep. Budzinski, and their staff. They asked several thoughtful questions, and we hope we answered them thoroughly. We believe we operate an excellent detention center and provide excellent care and service—not only to ICE detainees but to every individual housed in our facility."Bell and Budzinski said they plan to follow up with jail officials to address concerns raised during the visit.Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.