Residents urge input on comp plan and raise local ICE concerns during public comment

Two public commenters used the board’s public-comment time on Feb. 17 to press the county on separate but civic-minded topics: participation in the comprehensive plan update and concerns about immigration enforcement activity.

Mitch Michaelson identified himself to the board as representing the Carver County Growth Coalition and asked for an ongoing channel for input into the county’s 2028 comprehensive-plan update. He said the group—made up of landowners, business professionals and community leaders—met recently with county Land Management staff including Jason Milke and Paul Moline and had a constructive first discussion. Michaelson and an introduced colleague, Randy Kubish, offered talking points and asked for follow-up meetings so the coalition can provide consistent input ahead of the 2028 update.

Later in public comment, a Chaska resident who identified herself only as Monique described what she said were recent ICE operations in the county. "A trusted observer... reported that yesterday in Carver County at 07:30AM, a man was abducted from his home in Carver County, taken to Whipple, and then released," she said, and added that the individual was left without a ride and that ICE would not look at his paperwork. Monique said observers report daily ICE presence near a Chaska mobile-home park and asked whether the county can restrict staging on county property or otherwise use its authority to limit local impacts. She also asked whether the sheriff could be asked not to assist ICE when operations are outside judicial warrants and asked the board to consider potential local policy options.

Board members responded that some items referencing USMS/ICE language are routine and historically on the consent agenda; commissioners said they would follow up with the sheriff for clarity. The meeting did not produce a formal board action on the Monique allegations; the complaint was taken as public comment and will require follow-up for official investigation or response.

The growth-coalition request and the ICE allegation were separate items in the public-comment period; commissioners encouraged the coalition’s follow-up and noted the ICE-related item is on the consent agenda and may be discussed further if removed from consent.

Next steps: staff and commissioners acknowledged they will follow up on the coalition’s request for meetings about the comp plan and that the sheriff’s office will be contacted for clarification about the reported ICE activity.