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Residents urge Steuben Legislature to end 287(g) collaborations with ICE; concern raised about sewage sludge and landfill use
Summary
Multiple public commenters urged the county to terminate 287(g) agreements with ICE, citing civil-rights, due-process and cost concerns; another speaker urged a countywide ban on sewage sludge spreading and limiting landfill access to county residents.
Members of the public used the Legislature’s comment period to urge the county to end its 287(g) cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Barbara "Birdie" Burdick invoked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s warning that "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," and asked the county to rescind its 287(g) agreements. Billing Mattingly of Erwin told legislators the NYS Attorney General’s Office does not recommend local law enforcement enter into such agreements and urged the Legislature to terminate them. Dr. Thomas Chapman said local officers should "put the needs of the local communities first and decline participation in these agreements." Chair Fitzpatrick noted Sheriff Allard had stated at the time there were no ICE detainees currently housed at the county jail.
Several speakers warned of operational and legal costs. Bruce Reding said ICE "is just bad business; this is not a good subcontract; it is very expensive," and warned that priorities and training could be poor. An emailed comment from Susanne Brown (received Feb. 22) echoed the call to end local agreements and cited nationwide concerns about deaths in ICE custody.
On a separate topic during public comment, Tim Hargrave of Cameron urged a countywide ban on applying sewage sludge on farmland and argued the county landfill should be limited to county residents, saying "It is time to ban sewage sludge in the County and to have the Landfill only be for the use of county residents."
