Editor asks council to move ICE agreement discussion into open session; council later seeks legal advice

Vic McDonald, a local newspaper editor, asked the Clinton City Council on the public-comment portion of its meeting whether an intergovernmental agreement between the Clinton Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was the subject of a closed-session item, and urged the council to discuss any such agreement in open session.

“Is this the intergovernmental agreement under discussion in agenda item 14?” McDonald asked, pressing councilors for a yes-or-no answer and adding that if the answer was yes, “I would encourage you to have this discussion in open session.” He told the council the agreement had apparently been in effect for more than a month and said the public deserved disclosure.

McDonald also told the council he believed the public should not be denied information about whether local residents might need to carry immigration documents, saying, according to the transcript, “The brown people of Clinton certainly deserve to know if they should be carrying their papers with them at all times.”

Diane Bird Anderson, who identified herself as a resident of Clinton, also urged the council to oppose any contracts or policies that would harm residents, including proposals to build a detention facility with the federal government.

Later in the meeting the council moved to enter executive session “for a seat of legal advice and discussion of a contractual matter related to an intergovernmental agreement.” Councilmember Kirkendall made the motion and Ms. Walsh seconded it; the transcript records the motion and indicates the city attorney was ill but expected to participate by phone if needed.

What happened next: The motion to enter executive session was placed on the floor and seconded; the recorded transcript stops after council discussion about securing legal advice and confirming the attorney would be available by phone. The public-comment request for an open discussion was not taken up in public later in the transcript.

Why it matters: McDonald’s comment raised questions about transparency and whether a law-enforcement partnership affecting residents has been reviewed in public. The council’s move to seek legal advice in executive session signals they considered the matter a legal/contractual issue that may require closed deliberation.

Next steps: The council stated it would go into executive session to receive legal advice about a contractual intergovernmental agreement; the transcript does not record a subsequent open-session report back or any formal public disclosure about the agreement.