Main Line Town Won't Use Local Resources For Potential ICE Enforcement

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — Officials in Haverford Township adopted a resolution Monday that says local resources, which includes law enforcement, will not be used during any potential non-criminal federal immigration enforcement efforts in the township.

Resolution No. 2476-2026 passed by a 7-2 vote during Monday's Board of Commissioners meeting. Commissioners Brian Gondek (Ward 1) and Michael McCollum (Ward 9) were the holdout votes. Many residents who attended the meeting applauded the resolution's passing.

The resolution declares, in part, that "Haverford Township will neither initiate nor accept any requests from any department or agency of the United States government to enter into any program or Memorandum of Agreement that would commit Township time, funds, efforts, or resources toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) non-criminal administrative enforcement activities."

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The move is in response to increased Immigration Customs and Border Protection enforcement across the country and rejects Section 287(g) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, which allows ICE "to delegate state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight."

Federal authorities say the Program "enhances the safety and security of our nation’s communities by allowing ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to partner with state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to identify and remove criminal aliens who are amenable to removal from the United States."

"We've been monitoring this for a while," Haverford Township Board President Judy Trombetta told Patch Wednesday. "We've seen news clips and videos that are incredibly frightening, so we are trying to give some reassurance to our residents."

The increased tension surrounding ICE activity led to a renewed attention of the role of local police among the board, she said.

"It became clear that local government need to be clear about what we do and don't do," she said. The adopted resolution ensures clarity regarding the Haverford Township Police Department's role in enforcing laws locally.

"I have absolute confidence in our police department, their professionalism, and their integrity," she said. "[The resolution] supports them and gives them clear, lawful direction."

Before the resolution was put to vote, numerous residents submitted public comment, the majority in favor of the resolution. Some said

One resident opposed to the resolution called it "laughable," and mentioned a teen girl being raped by someone she described as an "illegal migrant" in her comments about the need for strict immigration enforcement. An additional speaker accused those in support of the resolution, and the board, of acting based on emotion rather than fact, calling the resolution "grandstanding."

Another said he is concerned that the resolution could lead to the stripping of local funding or lawsuits, saying he's seen presidential administrations since Obama use their power to force municipalities into compliance with federal law.

When asked about potential backlash from the Trump administration, whether it be litigation or freezing of funds that affect the township, Trombetta said local leaders always consider those outcomes, especially in light of what's happening at the federal level. President Donald Trump recently said his administration would halt federal funds going to any state that has sanctuary cities, which includes Pennsylvania.

The final public comment was made by a man who identified as a historian who cited a portion of the Declaration of Independence, which reads: "[King George III] has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands."

"If you affirm this today," he said of the resolution, "I think that you will be joining in the great history of this country of resisting tyranny in its different forms."

A meeting attendee shouted out during Board Vice President Kevin McCloskey's comments in support of the resolution, leading Trombetta to ask them to leave the meeting. It's unclear what was said.

Commissioner Larry Holmes (Ward 6) said one criticism levied at the board was that the resolution was that officials were out of their "lane" in proposing it, but he pushed back on that saying the resolution is "very much in our lane."

"We are taking a step — a step empowered under federal law, under state and local law — to state a policy that we think protects this township and protects its police department and the reputation they've rightly earned and protects all of you from the conduct we've seen elsewhere," he said. "I can't stop what happened in Minneapolis, but I can do anything I can to stop it from happening in Haverford Township. Tonight, this is one of those steps I can take, I will take it proudly."

"It's the responsibility of our local government to ensure the safety and well-being of our community," Trombetta said. "It's within our right to oversee the police department. We are very much abiding by the constitution and our laws as they are."

The full resolution is available to review online here on page 62.

Watch the full meeting and resolution discussion below: