DARTMOUTH, Mass. (WPRI) — As Donald Trump prepares to become president once again, Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux says he does not plan to house ICE detainees at the local jail. "One, we have our own inmates to deal with, and we have limited staffing," Heroux said during a news conference Monday. "And the second reason is this organization has been there and done that, and it didn't go so well for us." In May 2020, a group of ICE detainees were accused of causing $25,000 worth of damage at the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center after refusing to be tested for COVID-19. BACKGROUND: ICE detainees refuse COVID-19 testing, ‘trash unit’ at Bristol County jail But a report months later by then-Attorney General Maura Healey found BCSO used excessive force on the detainees, including flash-bang grenades, pepper-ball launchers, pepper spray, anti-riot shields and canines, when the detainees had been calm and nonviolent for an hour before. Heroux said once the detainees were released from the facility, it has largely gone unused until now. "We decided to retrofit this and make it into a training academy, but also offer a home for these, special response team as well as the K-9 unit," he said. But Monday's news conference comes as Donald Trump is set to soon take office, and the president-elect has made it clear that he plans to take a tough stance on immigration. Heroux said he's not interested in housing ICE detainees because of an ongoing lawsuit from the 2020 incident. According to court documents from October, mediation talks have fallen flat and the lawsuit could likely go to trial. MORE: Mass. AG report reveals Bristol County Sheriff’s Office violated ICE detainees’ rights However, Tom Hodgson, the Bristol County sheriff in 2020 and the chairman of the Massachusetts for Trump 2024 Campaign, said he feels confident in the policies they had at the time. "We had ICE auditors at our facility almost every single day," he said. "We were the model for the nation, and we didn't have those same kinds of concerns in the regular facility." Heroux said he does plan to cooperate with federal immigration officials, but Hodgson said the lawsuit should not get in the way. "We need to do everything we can to collaborate with every agency we work with," Hodgson said. "FBI, DEA, these federal task forces, why would it be that we'd select just one?" Kate Wilkinson ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW