State College leader reaffirms borough police do not participate in ICE enforcement
The leader of State College’s governing body reaffirmed Monday that the borough’s police department does not play an active role in immigration enforcement, after an advocate urged officials to revisit protections for immigrants.
A volunteer with the Centre County Rapid Response Network told Borough Council that fear of immigration enforcement — fueled in part by a false report of Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a downtown business — is having a chilling effect and underscored the need for additional protections.
“Even though it was not real, it had been circulating on campus — that’s when it came to us, this image — and we were able to investigate it and get the word out, but it is really extraordinarily important that we continue to work on this,” she said.
Borough Council President Evan Myers said State College police have policies of “not participating with ICE in any kind of activity.”
“This council has taken stand after stand to protect our immigrants and will continue to do so in any way that we can,” Myers said. “... We don’t enforce federal law, just like we wouldn’t expect ICE to give out speeding tickets.”
The discussion unfolded two months after Borough Council and the Centre Region of Governments each passed on resolutions that called for ICE reform. Then, in March, a person in the borough police department’s coverage area was taken into ICE custody.
The department said it had no prior knowledge of ICE’s plans and neither participated in nor was asked to assist. No other council member spoke Monday about immigration enforcement.
Borough Council’s next meeting is scheduled for April 20.
