Residents urge transparency on sheriff's $46M increase, cite ICE cooperation and alternatives

Multiple members of the public used the county's budget hearing to challenge the board's approach to public safety funding and to demand transparency from the sheriff's office about immigration enforcement collaboration.

Oscar Muniz asked why taxpayers are being asked to provide an additional $46 million to the sheriff's budget while Amendment 3 could reduce future local revenue, and he urged transparency about any local support for ICE activity: "If we're told that local tax dollars will not be used for ICE activity, our community deserves transparency and clear answers about how the commitment is being followed," Muniz said.

Linda Coffin, representing Immigrants Are Welcome Here and the League of Women Voters, pressed the board for specifics: she cited staff conversations indicating approximately 112 sheriff's personnel deputized for immigration-related duties earlier in the year and an asserted increase to about 160, asking how that affects patrol staffing and response times. "Before taxpayers are asked to fund a nearly 11% increase, we deserve to know exactly where that money is going," Coffin said.

Other speakers — a nurse, a CPA, longtime social-services staff, community organizers, and residents — made connected arguments: they said larger sheriff allocations will not necessarily improve community safety, that immigrant fear undermines reporting and workforce stability, and that funds might better support prevention programs, youth supervision and mental-health services. Erica Gomez Tejeda cited recent hospital arrest videos and argued that increasing the sheriff's budget while it participates in immigration enforcement is a poor use of tax dollars.

Speakers asked for clear counts of deputy hours spent on immigration activity, public accounting of forfeiture or capital funds included in sheriff totals, and commitments around transparency and local-only priorities. Those questions were not answered with immediate, detailed commitments during the hearing.