Doylestown Borough: ICE Can Expect The Cold Shoulder

DOYLESTOWN BOROUGH, PA — If agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) come to town, they can expect to receive the cold shoulder from the borough government.

On Monday night, the borough council’s nine Democrats voted unanimously to approve a resolution "announcing the borough's policy regarding the enforcement of federal immigration law" and its interaction with ICE, a federal agency tasked with rounding up people who are here illegally and investigating crimes such as human trafficking and the illegal movements of people and goods.

According to the resolution, "Borough Council shall not voluntarily assist in any efforts by the federal government to apprehend, detain, or deport individuals pursuant to federal immigration laws within the borough."

The resolution also states that it will be the policy of the borough that its agents, employees, departments and officials "are prohibited from" sharing confidential information or voluntary release personally identifiable data or information to ICE, make borough databases available to ICE, facilitate or assist ICE with the enforcement of federal immigration law or enter into any arrangement with ICE about the enforcement of federal immigration law.

The resolution also adds that while the police commission has sole authority to govern and manage the Central Bucks Regional Police Department, the council "supports and commends the current policies and procedures of the department to not voluntarily assist in any efforts by the federal government to apprehend, detain or deport individuals pursuant to federal immigration laws and is committed to the fair and equitable treatment of all individuals."

In supporting the resolution, Councilman Connor O'Hanlon said, "It's more important now than ever before that we take a stand.

"Just because our federal immigration system, along with much of our federal government, is not functioning as it should, does not mean members of our community should bear the brunt of that failure," he said.

"This resolution makes clear that the policies of Doylestown Borough and the Central Bucks Regional Police do not and will not include voluntary collaboration,” said O’Hanlon. “It is not the job of our local officers to perform the duties of federal immigration enforcement. Our officers are here to protect our community, and they do a damn good job of it.”

He added, “Despite what some may have you believe, immigrants are what make America great. Doylestown is a place of inclusion, equity and community and supporting this resolution affirms that.”

Several residents in attendance at the meeting also spoke in favor of the resolution.

Tabitha Dell'Angelo from Harvey Avenue said seeing what’s happening around the country “makes it that much more important that we are explicit about where we stand.

"This resolution sends a clear and necessary statement to every single resident that you will not be targeted based on your skin color, language or immigration status," said Dell'Angelo. "It ensures that our police department remains focused on its primary and critical role of building trust, solving local crime and enforcing public safety. I urge the council to vote yes on this resolution and send a clear, unambiguous message to our community that public safety and trust come first.”

Dell'Angelo said the borough is fortunate to have an “excellent regional police department. They are trained professionals who have core duties that include enforcing state and local law, responding to emergencies, ensuring public safety and building vital relationships through community outreach. The mission is clear and this resolution makes it clear where they stand and the good work they are already doing.

“What our police do not do and should not do is act as federal immigration agents picking up community members solely based on their immigration status, which is outside the scope of their mandate," said Dell'Angelo. "When local law enforcement is inappropriately pulled into federal immigration enforcement, that is sometimes deceptive and aggressive, that works against our local safety.”

Resident Steve Sullivan called the resolution “an important statement of support for our community.

"This is not just about undocumented immigrants. We see all over the place the tactics being used. We are dealing with bullies of the severest magnitude,” he said of ICE agents. “In our community, we have people who are being bullied by this organization. If we don’t speak up against the bullies, who will?”

State Street resident Larissa Hopwood called the resolution “a line in the sand. This is a moment in time where we need to protect the people who are the most vulnerable. We have people in our community who are being detained. We have people in our community who are being threatened. We want to make sure we are moving to protect them instead of allowing people to target them.”

In a separate motion, the council unanimously voted to approve a resolution supporting legislation introduced in Harrisburg that would require law enforcement officers to wear clearly delineated identification badges and prohibit such officers and agents from facial concealment.

"It's important for the community at large, not just related to ICE enforcement but to enforcement of our laws in general by our law enforcement personnel, that there be transparency and visibility," said Councilman Robert Kinney in supporting the legislation. "Law enforcement can't hide behind a mask and intimidate people who may be subject to enforcement activities, except in very, very limited circumstances. It says that we are an open society and a law-abiding society shouldn't be a society that is worried about who is hiding behind a mask."