Residents urge Carver County commissioners to oppose any use of jail beds by ICE
Loading...
Summary
Dozens of residents told the Carver County Board during public comment they oppose the sheriff renting jail beds to ICE, citing eyewitness accounts from a Chanhassen raid, legal liability, family separations, and economic harm; speakers asked the board to adopt a resolution opposing any sheriff-only contract.
Dozens of residents and community leaders pressed the Carver County Board of Commissioners during public comment to oppose any agreement allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use county jail beds.
At the start of the meeting Monique LaCroix, a District 4 resident of Chaska, asked commissioners to oppose “any agreement that uses Carver County resources to house ICE detainees,” saying the sheriff’s office is in the midst of a staffing crisis and that the county would shoulder downstream social-service costs when families are separated. “When the sheriff partners with ICE to detain and deport local residents, he is creating a downstream fiscal crisis that we taxpayers have to pay for,” LaCroix said.
Other witnesses described firsthand scenes from a recent Chanhassen operation. Chris Morrill, who said he attended the December 13 Chanhassen action as a citizen observer, said he witnessed what he characterized as aggressive ICE tactics and alleged an ICE officer shoved a peaceful protester. A woman who declined to give a last name said she was pushed by an ICE agent and that Chanhassen police told her they could not intervene because it was a federal matter; she said she has video she could share with attorneys.
DeGrecia Lozano, executive director of Latino Voices of Minnesota, said the presence of ICE has produced fear and distrust among Latino residents and urged the board not to compound those harms by renting county jail capacity to a federal agency. “Accepting this will only create fear and distrust towards local authorities,” Lozano said.
Speakers raised legal and procedural questions as well. Andy Jurzdowski, a Chaska resident, cited a recent Minnesota attorney general opinion he said indicates a sheriff cannot unilaterally bind the county to a federal contract and asked the board to pass a resolution stating only the board may approve federal contracts and to require any proposed ICE agreement be posted publicly at least 72 hours before a vote. Other commenters referenced pending litigation against the county and the sheriff, asking how much taxpayer money has been spent defending prior cases.
The chair acknowledged the breadth of public concern but said the board does not debate during public comment. Commissioners did not vote on an ICE contract at this meeting. Several speakers said they are collecting signatures and encouraged commissioners to act — by speaking out, passing a resolution, or using budget authority — to prevent any county cooperation with ICE.
What happens next: public commenters asked the board to either pass a resolution opposing sheriff-only agreements with ICE or to require board approval before the sheriff could finalize such contracts. The board did not take that vote at this meeting; residents were told to continue contacting commissioners and staff for follow-up.
Sources: public comment recorded at the Carver County Board meeting (several speakers, including Monique LaCroix; Chris Morrill; DeGrecia Lozano; Andy Jurzdowski).
