Dozens of Butler County residents used the public comment portion of the meeting to call on commissioners to end the county’s contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows ICE detainees to be held at the Butler County Jail.

Speakers urged the board to consider legal, moral and financial risks and asked the county to release the ICE contract and information about reimbursements. The comments included personal testimony, references to pending legal inquiries, and requests that the board give 30 days’ notice to terminate the arrangement.

"ICE agents are targeting people pursuing day to day activities," said Anne Wengler, who said she was speaking on behalf of herself and national civil-rights organizations. Cassie Stevens described a recent traffic-stop arrest of a family member’s relative and said the immigrant community was "in a state of terror right now." "None of this is normal. None of this is okay and it's not keeping us safe," Stevens said.

Several speakers raised the county’s legal exposure. Linda Spurrier said the state attorney general was reportedly "looking into the legality of our county [ICE] contract" and warned that the county could be held liable for alleged errors or mistreatment by ICE inside the jail. "Whether that arrangement is determined legal or not, the problem remains that we, as a county, are put at liability for careless errors by ICE," Spurrier said.

Anne Janssen said she had been told the Butler County Jail currently holds about 350 ICE detainees and asserted that as many as 80% "have no criminal records," adding that, in her calculation, even if the percentage were 70% that would equal roughly 245 people. Janssen asked whether federal reimbursements were current and whether lawsuits pending against the sheriff were being paid for by county insurance.

Anne Brown cited a January American Civil Liberties Union letter she said had been circulated to Ohio sheriffs urging them to decline certain federal immigration enforcement programs (287(g) programs), arguing that participation "could lead to civil rights lawsuits, erode public trust in local law enforcement and divert resources away from public safety." Brown also urged the board to provide a copy of the ICE contract and to ask the sheriff for related correspondence.

Financial concerns were also raised. Kathy McMahon Klosterman said sheriff’s public statements estimated the cost to hold a detainee at $80 to $100 per day while, she said, ICE reimburses $68 per day; she asked whether local taxpayers were covering the shortfall and noted other hidden costs such as medical care, transportation and overtime. "Lawsuits in some other counties have cost millions of dollars to taxpayers," she said.

Speakers asked detailed questions about due process and conditions of confinement. Edna Southard listed questions for the board: whether civil rights were being violated, whether detainees had access to counsel and adequate food, medical care and housing, how long individuals were being held, and how many detainees were present for criminal charges versus immigration matters.

Commissioner Carpenter acknowledged the comments, said the board would collect information and agreed to provide an ICE contract copy to a requester. "Anne Brown asked for a copy of the ICE contract, so I know we can find that and get that to you. And we we are listening to you and we are taking notes," Carpenter said. The board did not take formal action to terminate the contract during the meeting but indicated it would research the complaints and follow up.

No formal vote or directive to end the ICE contract was taken during the meeting. Several speakers asked the board to give 30 days’ notice to terminate the contract and to make information about federal reimbursements and pending litigation public; the board said it would research and respond to those requests.