BRAINERD — Residents urged the Crow Wing County Board to withdraw from federal agreements related to immigration detention during a public meeting on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at the Historic Courthouse in Brainerd. Eight residents spoke during the public forum, with seven asking commissioners to consider withdrawing from agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One resident spoke in favor of the agreements.

Approximately 40 people attended the meeting, which the Minnesota branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had called on people to attend. The ACLU stated that agreements such as Crow Wing County's "blur the lines between federal immigration agents and local police."

Jane Haubrich, a Fairfield Township resident, said, "Human detention should never be used as a business model to plug the county budget deficit." She added, "The decision to partner with ICE has fundamentally fractured our communities."

Crow Wing County has housed immigration detainees in its jail since late 2025. The county does not have a direct agreement with ICE; instead, ICE is authorized to use the Crow Wing County Jail through an intergovernmental agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service signed in 2025. The Crow Wing County Board passed this agreement unanimously as part of its consent agenda in August 2025 without discussion. The contract became effective in September 2025 and included an estimate for a maximum of 20 beds for male inmates. The county is often housing more than 40 federal detainees, including both men and women.

Gary Payne, a Central Lakes College instructor, spoke about due process. "If you can't get due process right, you can't get anything right in law enforcement," Payne said. He added, "And they just keep violating it." Payne stated that while it would normally be beneficial for law enforcement agencies to collaborate, "But these are not normal times."

The agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service was first discussed in 2024 as an option to address an approximately $1 million budget deficit. Crow Wing County is paid $102 per federal detainee per day. Cass County ended its agreement with Crow Wing County, opting to house inmates at Itasca County's new jail.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office has two 287(g) agreements, one through the task force model and another through the warrant service officer model. These agreements allow local authorities to assist in enforcing civil immigration laws. Sheriff's deputies assisted in an enforcement action at El Potro Mexican Restaurant in downtown Brainerd earlier in 2026. Neither the 287(g) agreements nor the enforcement action were considered by the Crow Wing County Board.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison issued an opinion on December 12, 2025, advising that county sheriffs cannot unilaterally enter into agreements without county board approval. Sheriff Eric Klang and Chairwoman Rosemary Franzen characterized this opinion as not carrying more weight than any other lawyer's. Klang answered questions from activists outside the room after the meeting concluded.