Public commenters at the Marathon County Public Safety Committee's Nov. 11 meeting urged elected supervisors to pause or subject the sheriff's 287(g) jail enforcement agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stronger public oversight.

Donna Ambrose, executive with the Neighbors Place food pantry, said the agreement chills access to basic needs: "When local law enforcement works with ICE to report anyone in jail without documentation...it creates fear, and that fear keeps families from coming to us for food and basic needs," and added, "Hunger knows no borders and neither should compassion." Ambrose said the pantry does not ask about immigration status and that service access should not depend on documentation.

Tony Gonzalez told the committee the local adoption of 287(g) would disproportionately affect communities of color and harm the county's workforce and economy by deterring immigrants from reporting crimes, medical emergencies and other public-safety needs. He warned of potential county lawsuits if detainers are applied improperly and noted the sheriff's earlier statement that fewer than 1% of crimes were committed by immigrants.

Mark Bradley (also recorded in the packet as Mark Bridal), speaking for HOLA (Healthy Opportunities for Latin Americans), urged committee oversight because training for the agreement has not yet occurred and the program is not yet active. Bradley asked the committee to require routine, public-facing data on the types of arrests that trigger immigration checks, the number of detainer requests, the length of additional jail stays related to immigration procedures, and any reimbursements or lack thereof from ICE.

Mariana Savola, also representing HOLA, said she spoke "from my heart" about rising stress in Latino families and the erosion of trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement. She asked the committee to "take that off of the table" to avoid reversing community trust.

No committee action on 287(g) occurred during the meeting; supervisors discussed whether a closed session would be appropriate later, given pending litigation and public concern. Several speakers asked the committee to treat oversight and data transparency as prerequisites before the program advances.