Residents urge review of ICE agreement and call for open data‑center forums at Frederick County meeting
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Summary
At the Jan. 28 meeting residents pressed the board to review a December memorandum of agreement with ICE and urged open forums on data‑center proposals; speakers asked the county to weigh civil‑rights and community‑planning considerations before further commitments.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the Jan. 28 Frederick County Board of Supervisors meeting to press the board on two separate concerns: an apparent agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and prospective data‑center development.
Brian Nuri told the board that in December the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office signed a memorandum of agreement he identified with ICE (a 287(g)-type arrangement) and said the county had not publicly disclosed the agreement or posted it to the sheriff’s website. He urged the board to refer the MOA to regional oversight bodies and to consider rescinding the agreements and issuing a resolution reassuring residents about protections for civil rights. Nuri said local facilities and staff receive equipment and overtime incentives tied to such agreements.
Nuri said he would forward statements made by the City of Harrisonburg and its school board as examples and asked the board to demonstrate the county’s commitment to accountability, stewardship and trust.
Multiple residents also urged the board to convene open forums on proposed data-center development so that utilities, developers, environmental groups and residents could discuss impacts. Blaine Dunn recommended a broad stakeholder meeting covering power generation and transmission, water providers, and developers; he cited an estimate that two campus-sized data centers could generate roughly $100 million in annual revenue and asked the board to consider how that revenue would weigh against road and school capital needs.
Speakers called for transparent discussion of water use, noise, traffic, employment impacts and the long-term effects data centers can have on land use and community character. Board members acknowledged the comments and noted data centers and utility siting will come before the board in future meetings as proposals are refined.
No board action on the ICE MOA or on data-center policy was taken at the meeting; public comment closed after residents finished and the board moved on to scheduled agenda items.