Anti-ICE, Sheriff 287(g) Agreement Protests Continue in Oneonta
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
ONEONTA
At 10℉ and -2℉ wind chill, it wasn’t the ice on the ground that more than 400 demonstrators were protesting at Muller Plaza on Saturday, January 31.
Organized by CooperstownOneonta Indivisible, Butternut Valley Indivisible, and the Otsego County Democratic Committee, local demonstrators again gathered to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s actions nationwide and a recently-signed Warrant Service Officer agreement between the agency and the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office. The agreement deputizes certain county corrections officers as immigration officers to facilitate the transfer of individuals with immigration warrants to ICE custody at the conclusion of their criminal custody in the county jail.
“You should know, our sheriff,” Virginia Kennedy, the group leader of CooperstownOneonta Indivisible said into a microphone, bundled-up locals in front of her booing Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin (R), “has signed a 287(g) agreement with ICE.”
“We have been letting him know what we think about that for the last couple of months, letters to the editors, press releases, phone calls,” Kennedy said.
In a form letter response to many constituents, Devlin said his decision to sign “is about public safety not politics.” He said the agreement “prevents dangerous or high-risk individuals from being released back into our community” and “is limited to our corrections system.”
The text of the 287(g) agreement is not limited to violent crimes. Individuals incarcerated for nonviolent offenses could also be transferred to ICE.
The protest was the group’s second in January, with a third unaffiliated one hosted by Reclaim Oneonta.
The ICE shooting of Renee Good followed by the Customs and Border Protection shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis has converged with local scrutiny on the county 287(g) agreement and has brought newcomers into the fold. According to Kennedy, the Indivisible chapter has gained around 100 new members since the start of 2026, “mostly due to the two immigration rallies.”
Speakers at the Saturday rally included County Board Representative Leslie Berliant (D-Cherry Valley, Middlefield, Roseboom); Caitlin Ogden, chair of the Otsego County Democratic Committee; the Rev. LaDana Clark of ChurchNtheHood; Geoffrey Doyle; Georgia B. Smith; City of Oneonta Councilmember Elayne Mosher Campoli (D-Ward 1); and the Rev. Casey Bradley of First United Methodist Church.
“Scripture tells us again and again that we will be judged by how we treat the stranger, the sojourner and the one who has no power of voice,” Bradley said. “We will not be judged by how well we maintain borders and boundaries and walls, but by how well we protect human dignity.”
Among several elected officials and candidates in the crowd was County Board Representative Nora Mendez (D-Oneonta City Wards 1 & 2). Mendez told AllOtsego that as a child of immigrants this is a “very scary and heartbreaking” time and that she wanted to be there to show her support “and just remind people that we’re here and don’t be afraid of us.”
Asked about the 287(g) agreement, which Sheriff Devlin has said was under his purview alone to sign as an independently-elected official, Mendez said “like many in the community, I have my concerns.”
“We can’t do anything about it as a county board,” Mendez said. “We can ask the questions, get clarification, but at the end of the day, he did this because he says that he saw that this was the most fit for his staff.”
Jadyn Trujillo, a SUNY Oneonta senior from New York City, came to the protest with other students because “it doesn’t matter where, it is just important to get your voice out.” Trujillo added that many other students feel similarly, and that “it’s taking up a lot of space in their heads.”
He emphasized that along with Renee Good and Alex Pretti, others need to be acknowledged and remembered.
At least two others have been killed by immigration officers during the Trump administration’s immigration operations, Silverio Villegas González and Isaias Sanchez Barboza.
“The national news is paying attention to when the white people are shot and when the white people are killed. And it shouldn’t take that for that to be national news,” Trujillo said. “It should always be a case of concern.”
After the rally, demonstrators lined either side of Main Street as dozens of cars passed by honking in support. Organizers say they plan to have more demonstrations through the spring, including another “No Kings” rally.
