Slippery Rock council to consider agreement with DHS, ICE
SLIPPERY ROCK — Borough police may soon be working with the federal Department of Homeland Security to assist with immigration enforcement and execute associated warrants.
Borough council considered enacting a 287(g) agreement between the department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at its meeting Tuesday evening, Aug. 4. Ultimately, after some discussion considering both sides of the agreement, council voted to table the final decision until its next meeting on Aug. 18.
Mayor Jondavid Longo brought the agreement to the table Tuesday, emphasizing an increase in resources and financial benefits he said would follow.
One point he noted was access to a larger database, managed by DHS, he said could assist borough police in catching lawbreakers.
“Our officers don’t have the ability to tap into a database that tells us if somebody is not only here illegally, but is wanted for something like murder or rape in a state four, five or six states over,” he said.
He said the agreement would not pull borough police attention from needed everyday work, but rather supplement that work through a partnership. He said under the task force model of the agreement, the borough police department would retain a level of discretion as to what activities it partakes in.
He also cited potential financial benefits, such as money for new vehicles, 25% coverage on overtime salaries and $7,500 in equipment funding per trained officer.
“For a borough that has a $1.3 million budget, $850,000 of which is used by our police department, we’re talking about a significant financial stimulus,” Longo claimed.
Council members questioned whether borough police were in favor of the agreement. Longo said he received no push back from Chief Terry Fedokovitz when telling him about the agreement.
Councilwoman Alexandra Tuten also expressed concern the agreement might further sow political divisions in an already intense political climate.
“I think it’s a very loud minority versus a quieter majority, but we do have intense division and I worry this will cause more intense division. So I’m weighing if this is worth it,” she said.
Longo said the extent of undocumented immigrant issues in the area is not currently known to the borough because they do not have access to the databases they would gain access to under the agreement.
He also said agreements between local law enforcement and ICE were not a hot political topic until recently.
“I really don’t see this as a political endeavor, though, and I’ll tell you why: This program predates the current administration by decades,” he said.
However, members of council agreed they would feel more comfortable moving forward with the agreement after speaking directly with Fedokovitz. He is expected to attend and discuss the topic with council at the next borough meeting on 7 p.m. Aug. 18.
