Uniontown City Council pulls ICE-police program discussion from agenda
Uniontown City Council removed a controversial item from its agenda during Wednesday's meeting, the mayor announced before the meeting was set to start.
On the agenda, it stated there was to be a vote for approval of a memorandum of understanding for the 287 Task Force. The 287(g) program allows ICE to partner with local law enforcement to perform certain federal immigration duties.
Executive session was held at 4 p.m., an hour before the regular meeting. Uniontown Mayor Bill Gerke told KDKA-TV that it was an information session to learn what the police chief had discussed with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Gerke said ahead of the meeting that he was not in favor of the 287 Task Force.
"In my opinion, there are financial advantages to the city but not outweighing other issues involved," Gerke told KDKA-TV.
When asked what the other issues were, Gerke said he did not have that information yet.
"I don't see a need. I don't see a problem here," Gerke said.
Councilman Trace Thomas also told KDKA-TV that he was not on board with the program ahead of the meeting. Thomas said the program was "all preliminary talks" and that "nothing was set in stone."
KDKA-TV talked to Fayette County residents ahead of the meeting, and they had mixed emotions about the program.
"I don't see the necessity. I don't think we should escalate that in our area at all," said Linda Martin, a Fayette County resident.
The chair of Fayette County Democrats, Tracy Wilson, said the Uniontown Police Department is already short-staffed and underfunded and believes the program could hinder officers from answering calls.
Wilson also said with midterm elections coming up, if passed, local police could be deputized as federal agents at the polls.
"As a voter, I would not want somebody there that's there illegally who's not a citizen voting, because that's not fair to the other citizens of the United States," said Mary Collins, a Uniontown resident.
"It would intimidate voters from coming out to vote," Martin said.
KDKA-TV reached out to Uniontown police ahead of the meeting for comment. We were told they could not comment ahead of the meeting. KDKA-TV also reached out to the Fayette County Republican Committee for comment but did not hear back on Wednesday.
During public comment, some residents asked why the 287(g) proposal was on the agenda in the first place and expressed relief after learning it was removed. The mayor responded by saying it was a "done deal" and said any discussion about the program would not be happening moving forward.
Councilperson Angela Brown also addressed the crowd during the meeting, saying that because so many people spoke up and used their voices "so loudly," it was removed from the agenda.
