HAMILTON, Ohio — Dozens of community members packed tightly inside a Butler County commissioners meeting on Tuesday, demanding the board end the sheriff's office agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house detainees.
The public comment portion of the meeting lasted over an hour, with 26 speakers criticizing the contract and speaking out against ongoing immigration enforcement operations in the county and across the country.
It comes one week after an ICE agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three and poet.
WATCH: Protestors demand end to Butler County Sheriff, ICE contract to house detainees
"What if, in the wake of this murder, more counties refused to let their jails be used by ICE? That would be some accountability," Ellen Price of Oxford said. "I implore you to think about how to achieve this."
The showing marked the 25th week in a row that the group, organized by the Butler County Immigrant Justice (BCIJ) organization, has attended public meetings to speak out against the ICE contract.
"I beg you to see the larger picture of what the ice contract does to our county and our country. You are supporting cruelty versus kindness and justice," Kathy McMahon-Klosterman of Oxford said. "You are not protecting all residents of Butler County, but you are eroding trust in local law enforcement."
Out of the dozens who took part in public comment on Tuesday, only one spoke in support of the ongoing ICE operations.
"If you take the risk of entering our country illegally, you face the risk of getting caught and put in jail. Deal with it," Edward Patrick of West Chester said.
Following public comment, Butler County Commissioner Cindy Carpenter read a prepared statement to the crowd, responding to the criticism over the ICE contract.
"I understand that many of you are deeply concerned about the federal immigration policy and the actions of ICE nationally," she said. "Those concerns are real, and I want to acknowledge the emotion behind them."
Regarding calls for commissioners to terminate the agreement between ICE and the sheriff's office, Carpenter said, "We do not direct or manage the day-to-day operations of the independently elected county officials."
"We do not use our administrative authority to make political statements. Much of what has been raised for regarding ICE reflects concerns that have occurred in other parts of the country," she said. "While this board does have authority over contracts, we exercise that authority based on the legality, fiscal responsibility and long-term interest of Butler County."
After the meeting, Butler County Commissioners T.C. Rogers and Don Dixon declined our on-camera interview requests.
We have reached out to the Butler County Sheriff's Office for comment regarding criticism over the ICE agreement. As of publishing, they have not responded to our request.
Last week, Democratic state lawmakers wrote a letter to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) demanding increased scrutiny of jail practices in Butler County.
The letter requested increased unannounced inspections by ODRC officials and lawmakers to address what lawmakers described as potential overcrowding within county facilities, inefficient heating for winter weather and punitive meals for inmates.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones previously responded to the allegations, defending the jail and its practices.
"You don't like it? It's not your mommy or your daddy making your meal? It's jail. You get that when you get in trouble in jail," Jones said.
Jones said the letter was "the dumbest thing I've ever seen in my life," and referred to the lawmakers as "the three stooges."
