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Solicitor clarifies Sunbury policy on cooperating with law enforcement after public concern about ICE
Summary
Following public comment urging the council not to work with ICE, the city solicitor read a prepared statement clarifying that Sunbury's policy is to cooperate with law-enforcement agencies to ensure public safety within legal boundaries; an agenda item that could have been read as 'support' for ICE was removed for clarification.
Sunbury — A public comment exchange about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prompted Sunbury’s solicitor to read an official statement clarifying the city’s position on cooperation with law-enforcement agencies.
Public commenter Drew Bayman urged the council not to use or support ICE in the city and called for the council to reject any formal cooperation. After discussion and an apparent misunderstanding about earlier agenda language that referenced "support," City Solicitor Joel Wiese said he removed the agenda item to avoid confusion and read a prepared statement. Wiese said Sunbury’s policy has been, is and will continue to be to cooperate with all law-enforcement agencies "to ensure public safety is protected to the letter of the law," and that cooperation will continue as long as it remains within legal and rule boundaries. He also told the public he had not engaged with ICE on behalf of the city and that the conversation was intended to clarify policy, not endorse federal action.
The solicitor said staff would put clarifying information on the agenda in future so citizens know what items will be discussed. The council did not adopt a new ordinance or formal resolution regarding ICE at the meeting.
