For the second time this summer, protesters gathered at the Sherburne County Board meeting in opposition to a possible jail expansion. 

A group of more than 30 people were protesting last Tuesday against the county’s plans to accommodate more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees. 

Three people spoke during the public comment period, including one woman who was adopted from Columbia and married a man from Liberia. She said he fled his native country with his family when he was three years old and is now facing deportation. “He has lived here 32 years and doesn’t have proper documentation,” she said.  

She said while in jail, he has had problems with the conditions, including headaches from drinking the water and contracting food poisoning from a piece of pastry from a vending machine. 

“Every human has basic needs - water, nutrition sunlight and sleep,” she said. “Before looking into expansion of the jail, I urge you to look into ways to improve the conditions.”  

Sheriff Joel Brott said there is much more to the story and responded to statements made during the meeting. As far as the water is concerned, he said, it comes from the City of Elk River. All inmates receive access to the same water and it is re-tested as part of the jail’s National Accreditation program.

“I can’t speak to the truthfulness or verify that her husband actually got sick after eating a pastry from the jail’s commissary,” said Brott.  “But I can tell you that all of the commissary items are commercially purchased, with commercial packaging and have printed expiration dates.”

Brott said the woman’s husband is not facing deportation because of improper documentation, but for a long criminal history that includes convictions for aggravated robbery, driving while under the influence of alcohol and controlled substance, driving after revocation, obstructing legal process, open bottle, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle and theft.  

“Her husband was ordered deported by a federal judge in 2014, but he failed to obey the judge’s order and elected to stay in the country illegally,” said Brott. “His most recent arrest was in June for domestic assault, and he was taken back into ICE custody and is now housed at the Sherburne County Jail.”

At last week’s meeting, Rev. Robin Raudabaugh, Pastor of Union Congregational Church in Elk River reviewed a resolution that the group presented to the county commissioners for their consideration.

“This is a commitment to humane immigrant detention standards, transparency and opposition to ICE expansion,” she said. 

She went on to say, “Maximizing county profits has become the jail’s foremost operational motivation, and profiting from the suffering of others is abhorrent and contrary to our community’s and country’s values.”   

Sheriff Joel Brott says profit is not a motive.

“The jail’s foremost operational motivation is promoting public safety,” he said. “We looked at how many ICE detainees we housed between May 1 and June of 2019 and the reason they were in custody.  During that span, we housed 535 detainees. Of those 5, eight were on ICE holds for murder, three for attempted murder, 102 for assaults/domestic assault, 12 for robbery or burglary, five for weapons violations, 65 for drugs, 37 for criminal sexual conduct/rape/child porn, 11 for human trafficking /solicitation, 23 for fraud, 105 for DUI, 21 for traffic offenses and five for making terroristic threats. 

The others represented 95 illegal entry, eight overstays, 50 seeking asylum and 11 who paid to be smuggled into the country illegally. 

Of the 95 detainees in custody just for illegal entry, 45 have been deported more than once with some being deported as many as six times.” 

The resolution read by Rev. Raudabaugh contained almost 20 statements prefaced by “Whereas,” in cluding: “deepening Sherburne County’s relationship with ICE makes every county resident complicit with the deportation system, with immigrant family separations and that the county jail eagerly enables and empowers ICE...”

Brott says instead of focusing on the suffering of the criminals and passing moral judgement on those who disagree, he is focusing on the suffering of the victims - “the eight families of the homicide victims, the suffering of the 102 victims of assault/domestic assault, the 37 victims of sexual assaults. Their lives have been forever changed,” said Brott. “Rev. Raudabaugh’s proposed resolution to the county board does not uphold the law or the Constitution of the United States and fails to protect our community.” 

Raudabaugh read from the Sherburne County Jail Inmate Handbook for U.S. Citizens that stated, “While you are here, you have the right to protection from personal abuse, corporal punishment, unnecessary use of force, personal injury, disease, property damage, and harassment, the right of freedom from discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, sex, handicap or political beliefs.”

“But the Sherburne County Jail ICE Detainee Handbook contains no such advisory...” she said. 

“Rev. Raudabaugh is incorrect,” said Brott. “This exact language appears in the Detainee Handbook going back to 2010. This advisory is listed in the ICE Detainee Handbook, page 22, under “Detainee Rights & Responsibilities.”  

Brott says Rev. Raudabaugh’s suggestion that the housing of ICE detainees in the Sherburne County  facility is anything less than humane is based on falsehoods and a lack of understanding.  “Frankly, it’s offensive,” he said. “ICE detainees and all other inmates, whether they are county inmates, DOC prisoners, Bureau of Indian Affairs inmates or U.S. Marshals’ Service inmates, are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of what the Reverend says.” 

The resolution also listed 14 requests, including asking the board to immediately cease any effort to expand detention beds at the jail; requiring any officers who have access to ICE detainees to wear body cameras; have an immediate independent assessment of the Jail Enterprise Fund; allow in-person family visits to immigrant detainees; produce a written report detailing the treatment of detainees regarding recreation time, reasons for solitary confinement and administering psychotropic medications against the detainee’s wishes; create an independent public committee with oversight over all private contracts.

“We respectfully request that you adopt this resolution at your Sept. 17, 2019 board meeting,” said Raudabaugh after reading the resolution. Then she thanked members of the board for their consideration.

Brott took exception to the insinuation about medications.

“We do not administer psychotropic medications against any detainee’s wishes,” he said.  “Those accusations are simply not true and are potentially libelous.”

He says if the board makes any decision it should be based on accurate information.

“I know the public expects public officials and community leaders to be truthful,” he said. “I would hope the public would expect the same from Rev. Raudabaugh. I don’t think it’s too much to ask Rev. Raudabaugh to hold herself to the same standard.” 

The board did not discuss the resolution at the meeting, nor did they comment on whether they would take any action at a future board meeting.