Doylestown Borough. Photo by James Short.
Doylestown Borough Council voted unanimously this week to adopt a resolution barring local officials from asking about a person’s citizenship status unless required by state or federal law, a court order, or to verify eligibility for a specific benefit.
The measure also blocked federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from accessing nonpublic borough facilities without a judicial warrant, while directing the borough manager to remove citizenship-related questions from employment forms within 60 days, according to the Bucks County Herald.
Council members framed the move as an effort to protect immigrant residents and reduce fear in the community, per the report.
The resolution also praised existing Central Bucks Regional Police Department policies that already prohibit voluntary assistance with federal deportation or detention efforts. Citing Doylestown’s long history of welcoming immigrants, Councilman Connor O’Hanlon said the federal government’s failures on immigration should not fall on local families, according to the Herald.
The measure also highlighted the borough’s Human Relations Commission, which handles discrimination concerns and works alongside the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
A second resolution adopted Monday supported a Pennsylvania Senate bill requiring law enforcement officers to display visible identification and restrict mask-wearing, according to the Herald.
The votes come amid ongoing debate in Bucks County over local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement: A county judge recently ruled that then-Sheriff Fred Harran acted legally when entering a 287(g) partnership with ICE — a decision now under appeal by the ACLU of Pennsylvania and other civil-rights groups.
Harran lost his Nov. 4 reelection bid to Danny Ceisler, who will impose a moratorium on the program when he takes office in January, per reports.
