Written by Brian Maurer, a long-time resident of Boone County and the organizer of Boone County Is Better
Northern Kentucky has long prided itself on being a place where neighbors look out for neighbors. But recently, a cold reality has settled over our Fiscal Courts in Boone, Kenton, and Campbell Counties—one that suggests our local leadership has placed a price tag on our regional integrity.
For years, federal detention contracts have been treated as a “fiscal win” for our county budgets. But as we move into 2026, the citizens of NKY are waking up to the hidden costs of this revenue stream. We are finding that the price of these agreements isn’t just paid in dollars; it’s paid in the erosion of due process, the traumatization of families, and a growing mountain of legal liability.
In Boone County, our coalition, “Boone County Is Better,” has seen its ranks swell by 40% in just one week. Why? Because the reality of what we’ve accepted as “business as usual” for so long is finally coming into focus. On January 16th, Federal Judge L. David Bunning flagged our detention practices as a “high risk of erroneous deprivation of liberty” in the case of Maydak v. Hernandez. When a federal judge sounds the alarm that our jail is essentially bypassing the Constitution, “business as usual” becomes a massive financial risk for every taxpayer in the county.
This isn’t an isolated “Boone County problem.” This week, Kenton County residents filled their courtroom seats to demand an end to the “rounding up” of uncharged individuals. They spoke of families torn apart and the dangerous blurring of lines between our local police—who are meant to keep us safe—and federal agents. In Campbell County, the same questions are beginning to echo. This is a regional awakening.
To those who say this only affects “criminals,” look no further than the tragic story of Wael Tarabishi and his father, Maher. Wael was a naturalized U.S. citizen. His father was his legal, long-term caregiver. Yet the federal machine snatched Maher away during a routine check-in—an administrative “glitch” that left Wael without the care he needed to survive. He passed away this month. Sadly, there are many more cases equally as sad as this one. When a system is incentivized by federal payouts to fill beds, it stops checking for citizenship or legal standing. It only sees inventory.
We are building a “Big Tent.” This movement isn’t about Left or Right; it’s about Accountability, Integrity, and Justice. It’s about ensuring that our tax dollars aren’t used to defend lawsuits or settle claims arising from “high-risk” detention practices. It’s about demanding a “Zero-Charge” census so we know exactly who is behind those bars and why.
The next chapter of this story will be written on February 4th in Campbell County Fiscal Courts and on February 10th in the Boone and Kenton County Fiscal Courts. We are calling on residents of Northern Kentucky who care about liberty and justice for all–people of all political persuasions–to join us in these spaces and at other meetings across the region. We are packing the courtrooms to remind our Commissioners that they answer to us—not to a federal contract.
Northern Kentucky is Better than a “warehouse for profit.” It’s time our leaders started acting like it.