Residents urge Hanover Borough to adopt non‑cooperation and privacy policies on immigration enforcement

Kiki Page, owner of Little Fox Coffee and Books, urged the Hanover Borough Council on Jan. 28 to adopt a non‑cooperation resolution with federal civil immigration enforcement and to strengthen borough data‑privacy and public‑notice rules to protect immigrant residents.

"Pass a non cooperation resolution," Page told the council, listing concrete steps she said the borough could take: prohibit use of borough buildings, equipment or staff to support ICE operations; adopt stricter limits on what personal data the borough collects and retains; publicly disclose any requests from ICE when legally permitted; fund "know your rights" education and maintain a public list of trusted immigration legal‑aid referrals.

The request was echoed by other residents. Jessica Lou Medrano, a high‑school student, asked the council what actions it will take to protect community privacy and be transparent about interactions with federal agencies. Selena Madronalua, a small business owner, said the issue affects Latino residents and local businesses and asked whether the borough will adopt policies that limit collection or use of citizenship‑related information.

Speakers repeatedly noted the limits of borough authority over federal enforcement and local policing: Page and others said they were not asking the borough to interfere with federal agents but to use its own lawful powers to avoid voluntary cooperation and to communicate clearly what the borough will and will not do.

Council members did not take formal action on these requests during the meeting. The public‑comment period produced several specific proposals but no staff report or council motion to draft or consider an ordinance, resolution, or formal policy during the Jan. 28 session.

What residents asked for

Page and others offered multiple policy ideas the council could consider: adopt a non‑cooperation resolution; prohibit use of borough resources for federal immigration enforcement; adopt robust data‑privacy policies limiting retention and sharing of personal data; require public notice when the borough receives requests from federal immigration authorities, when legally allowed; provide multilingual "know your rights" materials and fund community legal‑aid referrals; and ensure borough services (library, utilities, permits) remain accessible without becoming information‑gathering "traps."

Next steps

At the close of the meeting, no vote, referral, or staff assignment was recorded on the transcript to follow up on the immigration‑related requests. Several residents asked for prompt written responses; the council did not set a timetable on the record for responding or drafting policy language.