All You Need to Know About Caroline Detention Facility Where Ken Ofori-Atta Is Being Held

The Caroline Detention Facility is an immigration detention centre located in Bowling Green, Virginia. It has recently drawn international attention following the detention of Ghana’s former Minister for Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta.

The facility is a key component of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention system and houses both criminal and non-criminal immigration detainees, a role that has placed it under sustained public and policy scrutiny.

ALSO READ: Ken Ofori-Atta detained by ICE in the US over immigration status

The facility began operations in September 1999 as the Peumansend Creek Regional Jail. It was designed as a campus-style, fourth-generation direct supervision facility. In 2018, the site was repurposed into an immigration detention centre after Caroline County entered into a five-year contract with ICE, transforming the former regional jail into a dedicated immigration enforcement facility.

Located at 11093 SW Lewis Memorial Drive, Bowling Green, Virginia, the centre is situated adjacent to, but separate from, a military installation. It has an official capacity of approximately 336 adult detainees and accommodates both men and women.

ALSO READ: Top 10 Most Powerful Countries in the World: 2026 Rankings

In recent years, the Caroline Detention Facility has faced several operational challenges. As of 28 November 2025, the average daily population stood at 346 detainees, exceeding its designed capacity by around ten individuals. This overcrowding reflects broader trends in immigration enforcement and increased detention activity under evolving United States immigration policies.

A 2023 inspection reported that the facility met required standards in areas such as detainee classification, segregation, use of force, recreation, and general facility conditions. However, it failed to comply with standards governing the voluntary work programme. Inspectors also raised concerns about delays in dental care due to the absence of an on-site dentist and the use of outdated guidance for chronic medical care.

Advocacy groups have also criticised the facility. In 2021, immigrant rights organisations filed a civil rights complaint with the Department of Homeland Security, alleging medical neglect, excessive use of solitary confinement, and inadequate COVID-19 prevention protocols.

ALSO READ: 2025/26 Recruitment: Key update for Police, Fire, Prisons and Immigration Recruits as Phase 2 Begins

The Caroline Detention Facility operates under a financial model commonly used in immigration enforcement. Caroline County receives $7 per detainee, based on a minimum daily population of 224 individuals. This arrangement generates more than half a million dollars annually for the county’s budget.

While the revenue has been described as financially beneficial for the rural county, critics argue that such profit-driven arrangements risk undermining humane detention standards and accountability.

ALSO READ: Burkina Faso says it has foiled new attempt to assassinate Capt Ibrahim Traore

Available data indicates that the facility houses two main categories of detainees. Approximately 120 individuals are classified as criminal inmates, while about 226 are non-criminal detainees held for civil immigration matters.

Non-criminal detainees are typically individuals undergoing immigration proceedings, visa adjustments, or removal processes rather than facing criminal prosecution.

On 6 January 2026, the Caroline Detention Facility became the focus of international attention following the detention of Mr Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s former Minister for Finance, by ICE over questions relating to his immigration status.

ALSO READ: We have taken difficult decisions – Pres. Mahama reflects on one year in office

Mr Ofori-Atta has been in the United States since December 2024, having travelled there to seek medical care. He reportedly underwent treatment for prostate cancer, including a radical prostatectomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in June 2025.

His prolonged stay in the United States has coincided with mounting legal challenges in Ghana. In November 2025, Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor charged Mr Ofori-Atta in absentia with seventy-eight (78) counts of corruption and corruption-related offences. Prosecutors allege that his actions caused the state an estimated financial loss of $128 million.

ALSO READ: US expands visa bond policy, adds 7 more countries to $15,000 requirement – See List

The charges relate to multiple transactions and policy decisions during Mr Ofori-Atta’s tenure as Finance Minister from 2017 to 2023. These include contractual arrangements involving Strategic Mobilisation Ghana Limited and the Ghana Revenue Authority, the termination of a contract between the Electricity Company of Ghana and Beijing Xiao Cheng Technology, procurement linked to the National Cathedral project, and a contract for the purchase of ambulances.

Following his failure to return to Ghana for questioning, the Office of the Special Prosecutor declared him a fugitive from justice. The government subsequently placed him on an Interpol Red Notice and submitted a formal extradition request to United States authorities in December 2025.

ALSO READ: 5 arrested over violent attack on Kade SHTS teacher

According to a public statement issued by Mr Ofori-Atta’s legal team in Ghana and signed by Justice Kusi-Minkah Premo Esq. on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, his detention relates solely to immigration status concerns.

The statement explained that the former minister has a pending petition for adjustment of status, a legal process that allows an individual to remain in the United States beyond the validity of a visa while an application is under review. His legal representatives in the United States are reportedly in active discussions with ICE to resolve the matter.

ALSO READ: Top 10 Countries in the World with the Highest Number of Dollar Millionaires: 2025 Rankings

The statement further stressed that Mr Ofori-Atta is fully cooperating with United States immigration authorities and that his legal team expects the issue to be resolved without delay.

Mr Ofori-Atta is classified as a non-criminal detainee at the Caroline Detention Facility, meaning he is being held for civil immigration violations rather than criminal charges. His United States legal team has indicated that efforts are underway to resolve his immigration status expeditiously, although the outcome remains uncertain.

ALSO READ: Top 10 Cleanest Countries in the World: Latest Rankings

The detention of a former cabinet minister at the Caroline Detention Facility underscores the expansive reach of the United States immigration detention system. It also highlights the intersection of immigration enforcement, international diplomacy, and high-profile political and legal disputes, raising broader questions about due process, accountability, and the treatment of detainees within the system.