Residents urge Butler County Commissioners to end ICE detention contract; board accepts public comment but takes no action

Dozens of residents addressed the Butler County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, urging the board to end the county’s contract that allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees to be held in the Butler County Jail. Speakers described recent national immigration enforcement actions, recounted local experiences, and asked the board to terminate the county’s ICE arrangements.

Karen Albrecht of Liberty Township asked the commissioners to “terminate the contract with ICE in Butler County,” saying the county should not be associated with what she described as aggressive federal tactics. Linda Spurrier, a Hamilton resident, described a recent early‑morning raid in Chicago and characterized the actions she reviewed on national broadcasts as “terrorizing” residents.

Ellen Price of Oxford read a statement and asked what rescinding the county’s ICE contract would entail. She summarized a League of Women Voters statement and quoted its wording during her remarks: “We understand that detention centers do not have the power of the courts. . . . However, detention centers play a key role in enabling these policies.” Price asked the board to consider the county’s role in enabling federal detention operations.

Anne Jansen, who said she spoke with Chief Dwyer of the sheriff’s office, reported two memoranda of agreement under section 287(g) and said the county has intergovernmental agreements with the Department of Justice and U.S. Marshals to house federal prisoners. Jansen said Chief Dwyer told her the jail tracks ICE detainees for billing but that the names and statuses of ICE‑held individuals are not distinguishable through the county’s public inmate list.

Steve Holmquist of Hamilton raised a related operational question: the county recently purchased an adjoining building. He asked why more jail space was needed when the county’s current jail is not at full capacity. Administrator Paul Boyko later explained that the recently acquired property is closely tied to the existing jail’s mechanical and telecommunications controls and that acquiring the building was necessary to avoid disruption or loss of critical infrastructure if it were owned by a third party. Boyko told the board the two buildings are “critically linked by the telecommunication system and the controls of the jail” and that acquisition protected essential operations.

Multiple speakers referenced a recent national news segment and said the county is gaining unwanted national attention; others described fear among immigrant residents and called the immigration‑related training of sheriff’s personnel and jail staff problematic. No commissioner motion to terminate the ICE contract or related agreements was introduced at the meeting; the board closed the public comment period after hearing the remarks and did not vote on the contract.

Ending: Commissioners did not take formal action on the ICE contract at Tuesday’s meeting. Residents and advocacy groups were prepared to continue pressing the issue at future meetings, and staff indicated they would continue to provide operational details about housing federal detainees if requested.