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Residents urge Greene County supervisors to publish data on sheriff’s collaboration with ICE
Summary
Public commenters told the Greene County Board of Supervisors they are alarmed the sheriff’s office is partnering with federal immigration enforcement and asked the board to use its budget authority to limit ICE-funded equipment and publish referral data to show whether ICE referrals involve violent criminals or routine traffic stops.
Members of the public told the Greene County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday they want transparency about the sheriff’s collaboration with federal immigration enforcement and asked the board to use its budget authority to prevent ICE-funded equipment from operating in the county.
“Are they being targeted because they are suspected of serious criminal activity or because they are believed to be undocumented or because they look Latino?” an online commenter asked, urging the county to “publish the numbers” that show how many local referrals involve violent felony convictions versus minor infractions. Melanie Johnson, who identified herself to the board as living in Barboursville, described a recent local traffic stop that she said led to detention at the Farmville Detention Center and urged supervisors to reconsider any budgetary actions that enable the sheriff’s cooperation with ICE. “You decide whether ICE funded vehicles and equipment enter this county,” she told the board.
Commenters sought specific metrics — counts of stops, the reasons for them, and outcomes — so the community can evaluate whether the program advances public safety or deters reporting by victims and witnesses. The board took public comment during the matters-from-the-public portion of the meeting; no formal policy change or direction to the sheriff was made during the session. Several supervisors acknowledged the concerns and said they would consider requests for more information, but the transcript records no immediate commitment to withhold budget items or to demand a data report that evening.
The public comments followed prior citizens’ calls for the sheriff to provide publicly accessible figures about the number and nature of ICE referrals. Board members did not vote on or adopt any ordinance related to ICE collaboration at the meeting; the comments were entered into the public record and the supervisors continued with scheduled agenda items.
