A judge ruled on May 15 that the Pinal County Board of Supervisors holds exclusive authority to approve county contracts and oversee spending, siding with the Board in a dispute against County Attorney Brad Miller. The ruling also determined that Miller exceeded his authority when he signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security without obtaining approval from the Board.
The issue centers on whether elected officials must follow Arizona law regarding their respective roles and responsibilities. The case involved a 2025 immigration enforcement agreement, classified as an intergovernmental agreement under state law, which the Board argued should not have been signed by the County Attorney’s Office. Law enforcement powers are vested in the Sheriff, while the County Attorney prosecutes criminal cases and represents civil matters for the county.
“This Board has supported federal authorities and immigration enforcement for years,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeffrey McClure. “This lawsuit is about whether elected officials must follow Arizona law, respect the limits of their office and properly safeguard taxpayer dollars. We are grateful that the Judge agreed and put a stop to Mr. Miller’s waste and abuse.”
During proceedings, it was clarified that a 287(g) agreement is not required for information sharing between Homeland Security and local agencies or attorneys. The Board stated its continued support for federal immigration enforcement efforts within legal boundaries, noting it had approved such an agreement specifically for Sheriff Ross Teeple to provide assistance at the county jail but raised concerns about liability risks posed by Miller’s separate agreement.
“My deputies work with and share information with ICE on a daily basis and that will continue,” said Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple. “That is and has always been permitted under Arizona law for any law enforcement agency.”
The judge found that Miller’s agreement improperly expanded investigators’ roles by authorizing activities such as arrests or interrogations typically reserved for sheriff personnel, issuing an order preventing him from carrying out work under this contract moving forward.
“Residents expect county government to operate responsibly and collaboratively,” McClure said. “We support law enforcement partnerships that are properly authorized and fiscally sound. This lawsuit was about upholding those standards and protecting the people of Pinal County.”
Academic performance remains an ongoing concern in Pinal County schools: during the 2022-23 school year, most students failed both mathematics (76.3% failure rate among grades 3 through 8; 81% among high schoolers) as well as English sections (69.7% failure rate among grades 3 through 8; 73% among high schoolers), according to the Arizona Department of Education. More recent data shows only modest improvement: just 17% of high school students passed mathematics on ACT exams in 2023-24 while only about one quarter (23%) of third through eighth graders passed math on AASA assessments, according to the same source.
