Danny Ceisler Credit: Submitted
Bucks County Sheriff-Elect Danny Ceisler plans to place an immediate moratorium on the 287(g) immigration enforcement program when he takes office.
The Democrat, who defeated Republican incumbent Sheriff Fred Harran last week, said he will work to “responsibly withdraw” the agency from the 287(g) program’s “Task Force Model” with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“I’m going to place an immediate moratorium on any activity in accordance with the 287(g) agreement,” Ceisler said in an interview. “From there, we’re going to figure out how we can responsibly and prudently withdraw from the agreement while maintaining public safety.”
The 287(g) program authorizes select sheriff’s deputies to operate with federal authority in immigration enforcement, a duty not traditionally handled by deputies in Pennsylvania.
Harran entered the office into the program earlier this year, drawing criticism from Democratic county commissioners and some residents. It has also led to a legal challenge, which a county judge stuck down, but his decision is being appealed.
Ceisler, an attorney and Pennsylvania Army National Guard member from Bristol Borough, said throughout the campaign that he opposed the program in his campaign against Harran, the former Bensalem Township public safety director.
The sheriff-elect said he has researched the legal process for withdrawal and believes the county can exit the agreement voluntarily.
“Now, I need to see the actual agreement that the incumbent signed. But the model agreements permit voluntary withdrawal,” he said.
Despite plans to end the 287(g) program, Ceisler said that he will maintain cooperation with federal immigration authorities for those with serious criminal histories. He said the office will continue working with ICE at the level that existed under previous Democratic and Republican administrations before President Donald Trump’s presidency.
The Democrat said he wants to “ensure that people who are bonafide criminals can be deported,” Ceisler said.
The incoming sheriff dismissed concerns that ending the 287(g) program will increase crime in Bucks County, calling such worries “fear mongering.”
“Bucks County did not have a massive issue with crime caused by illegal immigrants before because there was a robust partnership when it came to people who were in the correctional facility and received due process,” he said. “We will continue the partnership that had been done under the Biden administration, the Obama administration, the Bush administration, and the Clinton administration.”
Ceisler said will maintain communication with Harran as the transition period gets underway.
“Fred and I had an open line of communication,” he said. “He’s not a bad person. We disagree on policy and we’ve spoken since the campaign.”
As he prepares to take office, Ceisler plans to focus on what he calls the “meat and potatoes core responsibilities” of the sheriff’s office. He wants to evaluate programs that fall outside the office’s traditional mission and make sure deputies effectively handle their statutory duties.
The sheriff’s office works with the county courts and carries out enforcement duties, including serving warrants, making arrests, transporting prisoners, handling civil matters, overseeing sheriff’s sales, and maintaining peace. The office is a row office that dates back hundreds of years in Pennsylvania’s governmental structure and has limited traditional policing duties, unlike a municipal police department.
The sheriff-elect plans to spend the next two months learning every aspect of the office’s operations. He says his background as an attorney has already familiarized him with sheriff’s office functions, and he received input from current and former deputies during his campaign.
Ceisler acknowledges there will be a learning curve as he takes on his new role, and he plans to be at the office daily to understand each position and responsibility within the department.
“It really is my mission to ensure that the brave men and women of that office are put in a position to succeed and execute their mission for the people of Bucks County,” Ceisler said.
