ICE barred from using Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, property after board vote
Officials in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, approved a resolution barring federal agents from using county-owned property for civil immigration activities.
The Board of Commissioners approved the measure by a 2-1 vote during a meeting Thursday.
"We want to make sure in Montgomery County we do everything we can to make sure all of our residents can continue to access essential services and live their lives safely," Commissioner Jamila Winder said before the vote.
Winder said the resolution bars U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using county parking lots, garages or other spaces as staging areas, processing locations and operations bases for the purpose of immigration enforcement unless given explicit permission.
Commissioner Tom DiBello said he agreed with some aspects of the resolution, but couldn't support the measure without additional studies.
During a public comment period ahead of the vote, Montgomery County Sheriff Sean Kilkenny said he supported the resolution.
The resolution is one of the latest measures taken by lawmakers and officials around the Delaware Valley to curb ICE activity.
Last month, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed an executive order aimed at limiting federal agents from using state property to conduct and execute immigration operations. In response, the Department of Justice sued New Jersey and asked a judge to invalidate the executive order.
"Federal agents are risking their lives to keep New Jersey citizens safe, and yet New Jersey's leaders are enacting policies designed to obstruct and endanger law enforcement," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. "States may not deliberately interfere with our efforts to remove illegal aliens and arrest criminals — New Jersey's sanctuary policies will not stand."
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration will "aggressively pursue every option" to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from opening immigration detention facilities in the Commonwealth. ICE purchased two properties in Berks and Schuylkill counties to convert into immigration centers back in February, though neither property was owned by the state.
The Bucks County Board of Commissioners also unanimously voted against using warehouses in the county as detention facilities, and the Office of the Lehigh County Executive urged property owners not to sell or lease space to the federal government for similar use.
In late January, two Philadelphia City Council members introduced legislation aimed at limiting how ICE operates in the city.
