HAMILTON, Ohio — Dozens of Butler County residents packed the Board of County Commissioners' weekly meeting on Tuesday morning, advocating for the sheriff's office to end its contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The group was organized by the Butler County Immigrant Justice (BCIJ). The activists said they have been attending the last 16 weekly meetings, pleading with their elected officials to end the agreement.
The contract allows the Butler County Jail to detain and hold ICE arrests.
As the public comment portion of the meeting began, resident after resident took their turn at the podium.
"Right now, Butler County is not living in peace," one man said.
“Your ICE facility has created a disgusting stench in our town, and we want it gone," a woman said.
WATCH: The message sent by activists to the Butler County Board of County Commissioners
One resident expressed her concerns over the sheriff's office putting resources into federal immigration enforcement.
“When the sheriff is focused on immigrant capture, his attention is away from other crimes," she said.
Another protester compared the actions of Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones to bounty hunting.
"He's a bounty hunter," the woman said.
At the end of the hour-long public comment section, the commissioners responded to the concerns of their constituents.
“I want to be clear that the Butler County Board of Commissioners does not direct, control or influence the polices of the sheriff or any other Butler County office holder, whose budgets we approve," Commissioner Cindy Carpenter.
Commissioner T.C. Rogers told the protesters he has no intention of ending the sheriff's federal contract.
“I’m not gonna cancel the sheriff’s contracts until I'm completely confident that our Butler County residents are safe from the huge masses of people that came here illegally," Rogers said.
Following the meeting's conclusion, protesters brought their signs outside to share their message with drivers passing by.
In a video posted to the Butler County Sheriff's Office's Facebook page Saturday, Jones reported that the county jail is currently holding about 350 undocumented migrants.
I was told by a spokesperson from the sheriff's office that Jones was not available for a statement.
