Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Immigration Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Berkeley County to withdraw 287(g) agreement with DHS
Summary
A string of public commenters told the Berkeley County Commission on July 23 that the sheriff's office's cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security under a "287(g)" agreement has shifted local policing toward immigration enforcement, creating fear in immigrant communities and harming school attendance; speakers asked commissioners to revoke the consent previously granted to the sheriff's office.
Public commenters urged the Berkeley County Commission to withdraw the county sheriff's office from a 287(g) agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, saying the arrangement has moved local deputies toward routine immigration enforcement and created fear among immigrant residents.
Lisa Cathro, who identified herself as a public school teacher and a candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates, told commissioners the change followed the commission's unanimous approval of the sheriff's cooperation with DHS nine months earlier. "When our sheriff's office becomes an arm of DHS, our immigrant community members no longer know where to go when they need help," she said, asking the commission to "immediately withdraw your consent for Berkeley County Sheriff's Office participation" in the 287(g) program she referenced.
Other speakers echoed that call. Karen, who identified only by first name, referenced national cases of ICE misconduct and said the county should "downgrade the relationship that ICE has with our law enforcement in Berkeley County." Richard Meyer, a retired pediatrician, said commissioners "can help to solve that problem here in Berkeley County by downgrading the relationship." Rita Caulfield, a volunteer translator, warned that when immigrant residents fear being turned over to ICE they will stop reporting crimes, which undermines public safety.
Elizabeth Sanchez, a Berkeley County teacher, said she had students who missed school after parents were detained or deported and that FOIA requests and video footage showed ICE agents riding with sheriff's deputies. "We have video footage that they are stopping people only on the basis of the color of their skin," she said, and reminded the commission that, in her view, the board has the authority to revoke the contract.
Speakers repeatedly framed their requests as appeals to public safety and community trust rather than opposition to criminal enforcement: they said they support the sheriff's office investigating and turning over undocumented people who commit serious crimes, but object to routine immigration stops in the community. No commissioner action to revoke the agreement was taken during the meeting; public comment concluded and the commission moved on to its agenda.
What happens next: Speakers asked the commission to act; the meeting record shows no motion or vote to rescind the county's cooperation with DHS at this session. Commissioners did not announce a follow-up vote on the 287(g) matter during the meeting.
