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Resident urges Lycoming County to limit cooperation with ICE after recent removals
Summary
A resident urged the county to adopt a clear, multilingual policy limiting voluntary collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to federally required interactions and to avoid entering into 287(g) agreements, citing recent local detentions and impersonation incidents.
Dana Rich Collins, a Lycoming County resident and member of the Friends of the Library, urged the Lycoming County Board of Commissioners during public comment to adopt a policy that restricts voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to limit local law enforcement interactions to those federally required.
Collins cited recent incidents she said have unsettled residents, including a June 18 detention reported in national press, a July 17 action in South Williamsport in which she said local police and fire departments accompanied ICE at a job site, and a July 9 incident in Lewisburg in which people impersonating ICE officers approached a business owner. She said those events and "over 50 ICE removals so far in our community" have created fear that prevents people from calling 911 or seeking emergency services.
Collins requested that emergency services use translators when language is a barrier and rely on federal authorities only when legally required. She asked the county to adopt an accessible, enforceable policy that limits local collaboration to federally mandated interactions and urged commissioners not to sign 287(g) agreements.
Her remarks were received as public comment; commissioners did not take immediate formal action during the meeting on the request.
