Forum Candidates Address ICE Detention and Local Litigation; Most Say They Lack Details on Monroe County Case

A question about litigation involving the Monroe County sheriff and the Secretary of State prompted candidates to say they were not familiar with the specific case but to outline broader positions on policing, ICE detention and incarceration.

Maria Douglas asked candidates whether they had plans to "keep all Monroe County community members safe" in light of the sheriff's litigation. "I'm going to be real honest with you," Kyle Ror said. "If I don't know enough about the context and the litigation, I'll just tell you and I don't know enough about the litigation actually." Jim Graham likewise said he was "not familiar with the litigation" while expressing support for police that follow the law, training, supervision and civilian review.

Brad Meyer said the litigation related to ICE and tied his response to a broader critique of immigration detention; he noted that one of his early campaign actions was protesting the use of Camp Adterabary for immigration detention. Meyer said reforming immigration policy and reducing unnecessary detention should be priorities and also urged freeing police capacity to focus on violent crime.

On incarceration more broadly, candidates criticized mass incarceration and private-prison incentives. Jim Graham said private-sector operation of prisons "has not served us well." Brad Meyer highlighted recidivism and rehabilitation needs, while Kyle Ror advocated alternatives for nonviolent offenders (probation, house arrest, reduced cash bail), prison-job training, and stricter employer-side enforcement such as E-Verify to address unauthorized employment.

The forum did not produce local legal analysis of the Monroe County litigation; several candidates explicitly said they lacked specific knowledge of the case.

What to watch: local reporters or the sheriff's office for documents or public statements about the litigation to confirm the legal claims referenced in audience questions.