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Residents urge Benton County to end or review use of 287(g) during public comment
Summary
Several residents told the Benton County Quorum Court they want the county to end use of 287(g) immigration enforcement, meet with Latino community leaders, and add oversight of the sheriff's office; the court took no formal action during the meeting.
Several residents used the court's public-comment period to urge Benton County to stop local participation in 287(g) immigration enforcement, to increase oversight of the sheriff's office and to meet with Latino community leaders.
"The trauma of ripping a parent from their family will be unsurmountable," said Nicole Mazzoni, a Rogers resident, criticizing local ICE activity and urging the court to end the county's use of 287(g). She said county funding of the sheriff and jail — which she described as a $31 million combined budget in a broad comment about county spending priorities — requires oversight and moral scrutiny.
Camille Williams, also of Rogers, told the court expanding 287(g) "turns our deputies into federal admin" and diverts time and money away from addressing violent crime and trafficking. "Fear doesn't make us safer," she said, adding that community cooperation with law enforcement falls when residents fear immigration enforcement during routine stops.
Sylvia Vallejo, another Rogers resident and Air Force veteran, called the local use of 287(g) "rooted in racism" and urged justices to hold public forums with community groups, including the Alliance for Immigrant Respect and Education, to build trust.
Other speakers included Valerie Wilcoxen, who asked the court to engage immigrant community leaders and recognize their contributions, and Dr. Alan Eason, who warned that enforcement without due process can cause broader community harm.
The court did not take any immediate formal action on the requests during the meeting; after public comment the body moved on to its agenda of ordinances and appropriations. The court's public-comment period was closed before consideration of the other agenda items.
