Over the past several weeks, I’ve heard from many Pinal County residents who are understandably confused and frustrated by recent headlines suggesting that the Board of Supervisors tried to block cooperation between local law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
That claim is simply not true.
The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with ICE since 2008, and that agreement remains in place today. When deputies detain someone who is undocumented or in the country illegally, the Sheriff’s Office contacts ICE. That process has never stopped. It continues today. The Board did not interfere with law enforcement. We did what we are sworn to do — we upheld
the law.
This situation began when County Attorney Brad Miller signed a separate 287(g) Task Force Model agreement with the Department of Homeland Security without approval from the Board of Supervisors and outside the authority granted to his office.
That distinction matters.
Under Arizona Revised Statutes §11-532, the County Attorney is a prosecutor — not a law enforcement officer. His job is to prosecute cases, represent the county in court, and advise
county officials. Nowhere does the law give him arrest powers or general authority to enforce the law in the field.
Law enforcement authority belongs to the Sheriff.
Yet during some recent media coverage the County Attorney has described himself as the county’s “top law enforcement officer.” That may sound convincing, but it is simply wrong. Prosecutors enforce the law in court. Sheriffs enforce the law on the street. That separation is not a technicality — it is one of the most important safeguards in our system.
At our January 21, 2026 meeting, the Board received a legal opinion from outside counsel, Snell & Wilmer, concluding that the agreement was void.
The opinion was clear:
This was not a political decision. It was a legal one.
We did not stop immigration enforcement. Public safety was not compromised. The Sheriff continues to work with ICE, just as he has for nearly two decades. What has concerned me most is what happened next.
Instead of acknowledging the limits of his office, the County Attorney chose to take this dispute public — portraying himself as the defender of law enforcement and the Board as standing in the way. Legal questions became press releases. Careful governance gave way to headlines.
That naturally raises an important question: If the Sheriff already has a valid agreement with ICE, and if this new agreement was unlawful, what was the real purpose? It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that this had less to do with public safety and more to do with politics.
The County Attorney is very good at generating attention. But governing is not about building a personal brand. It is about respecting the law and the limits of your office. If these public appearances are meant to position him for higher office, I would urge voters to pay close attention. When an official stretches his authority to create controversy and headlines, it is fair to ask whose interests are really being served. Pinal County deserves leaders who put the law ahead of ambition and the public good ahead of personal advancement.
The Board of Supervisors will continue to do what we were elected to do: follow the law — even when it is uncomfortable, and even when it is inconvenient.
