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Residents urge transparency on ICE detainees at Mahoning County jail; commissioners asked to seek numbers from sheriff
Summary
Two residents urged the board to press the sheriff’s office for transparent reporting on immigrants held in the county jail and raised due‑process concerns; speakers said they had counted roughly 17 detainees and asked commissioners to seek clarity.
Two residents used the meeting’s public comment period to press Mahoning County commissioners for transparency about immigrants detained at the county jail on immigration holds.
Charlene Petrola, a Canfield Township resident, said she was concerned that at least 17 people had been detained and questioned what would happen to them. "What are they planning on doing with them?" Petrola asked. She urged the county to ensure due process for "all persons in the U.S., not just citizens."
Michael Kripchak, a Youngstown resident, said he did not expect the county to control federal immigration policy but asked the commissioners to request clearer public reporting from the sheriff’s office because local tax dollars keep the jail operating. "I do request ... that there's more transparency to what's taking place," Kripchak said, noting his group’s research found "around 17" detainees and citing Cleveland statistics for comparison.
A speaker in the transcript interjected that detainees held by the sheriff are typically turned over to ICE for removal; that speaker was not identified by name in the transcript. The transcript does not record any formal pledge or motion by the commissioners to act on the requests; Kripchak asked commissioners to present the request to the sheriff’s office for clearer public counts.
No county policy change or vote on the issue was recorded in the meeting minutes provided in the transcript.
