The Board of Supervisors (BOS) has passed a resolution that West Whiteland Township police will not help United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) enforce immigration laws when those laws are civil, not criminal. The Police Department will continue to focus on crime and public safety - including violent crime, theft, traffic safety, and protecting residents - and will not act as ICE agents.
Specifically, West Whiteland Township Police Department will not:
- detain people for ICE,
- ask about immigration status, or
- participate in ICE programs like 287(g) that deputize local officers to enforce federal immigration law.
West Whiteland Township recognizes that immigration status alone is not a criminal matter. Having an undocumented status is a civil issue, not a crime.
To be clear, this resolution does not stop the Police Department from arresting anyone - immigrant or not - who commits a crime. Officers will continue to enforce criminal laws while remaining committed to protecting victims and witnesses.