Public commenters urge Grayson County to reveal detention finances and begin ending ICE contract

Two public commenters used the court's public-comment period to press county leaders for transparency and to urge an end to the county's contract to house ICE detainees.

Brittany criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the private-for-profit systems that house migrants, saying, "It is time that we call it what it truly is, state sanctioned human trafficking," and urging officials to hold agencies and corporations accountable.

Kylie, who said she had spent a year requesting records and reviewing contracts tied to the Grayson County Detention Center, told the court she had been charged $101 for requested records and has appealed that fee to the Kentucky attorney general. She accused the county of becoming "dangerously dependent on incarceration as a source of income" and said that dependence creates incentives to keep beds filled. Kylie also referenced uncertain case counts in the transcript, saying there are "more than 400 or 200 federal habeas cases that are connected to ICE detainees held at the Grayson County Detention Center," and asked the court to begin the process of ending the county's ICE detention contract.

Kylie asked for a full accounting of every dollar received related to federal detention activity, every expense associated with housing ICE detainees, transfers from jail funds, donated equipment, and legal expenses and settlements connected to jail operations. She argued that if detention-related funds are treated as public benefit, the public should not have to pay to verify their source.

The court thanked the commenters and noted timing; the transcript does not show any formal response or motion from the court to investigate the detention contract or to request the detailed accounting Kylie sought.

What was said (selected quotes):
- Brittany: "ICE does not defend American values. It replaces the Statue Of Liberty's welcoming torch with a cold glare of surveillance search lights and handcuffs... It is time that we call it what it truly is, state sanctioned human trafficking."
- Kylie: "Grayson County has become dangerously dependent on incarceration as a source of income." Kylie also said she "appealed to the Kentucky attorney general" over a $101 fee for records and called for public access to the requested accounting.

No formal action on the detention contract or records requests was recorded in the meeting minutes portion of the transcript. The matters raised by commenters raise potential follow-up steps for the court or reporters, including verifying the county's detention-related revenues, the origin of donated funds, the $101 records fee and the number of federal habeas cases tied to detainees.