Upper Darby releases FAQ about ICE response
Amid increasing concern about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the area, Upper Darby Township officials are taking to social media to clarify how they’re responding.
On its official Facebook page, Upper Darby Township government on Feb. 3 posted a series of answers to “frequently asked questions” about ICE enforcement. For example, in response to a question about whether the township is working with ICE, the post stated that “Upper Darby Township does not participate in civil immigration enforcement and does not have an agreement authorizing Township police officers to enforce federal immigration law.”
The local government also said that “all residents should feel safe calling 911, reporting crimes, seeking medical help, sending children to school, and using township services regardless of immigration status.”
But the township’s response to the question “Is ICE operating in Upper Darby Township?” underscored how little information is being provided to municipalities about ICE activity. Upper Darby’s government wrote that ICE “is a federal agency that operates independently of Upper Darby Township,” which “does not control when or where ICE conducts its activities.”
The post added that the Upper Darby Township Police Department “has been notified that any communication with ICE should be handled via the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.”
The township further stated that the Upper Darby Township Council is “considering a resolution that formally affirms Upper Darby Township’s policy of not engaging in non-criminal federal immigration enforcement while continuing to comply with all applicable laws.” Council President Marion Minick made similar remarks during a meeting in late January, acknowledging that “our residents have been expressing utter fear, feeling terrorized” by ICE activity.
Earlier in January, Upper Darby council member Kyle McIntyre called for local and state officials to investigate the death of Cambodian immigrant Parady La while in ICE custody. McIntyre said La was arrested by ICE agents while on his way to Fresh Grocer on 69th Street in Upper Darby and died within 48 hours.
