The persistent but inaccurate “sanctuary county” label has come up yet again, reminding residents of Butler County of the notion that labels can be a lot like road signs: confusing and occasionally no help at all.

Let’s keep in mind that the true intent and purpose of a road sign is to point to a destination. The sign itself is not the destination — in fact, when you’re already at your destination, or live there, a road sign serves no purpose. You don’t need someone else telling you where you live.

Our residency here only magnifies the frustration with the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank devoted solely to research and policy analysis of immigration in the United States.

It was the Center for Immigration Studies that erected the unfortunate, inaccurate road sign identifying Butler County as a “sanctuary county” — meaning, we give refuge to undocumented immigrants by refusing to cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

It all began with the arrest of a Lehigh County man in November 2008. Ernesto Galarza, a U.S. citizen of Puerto Rican descent, was mistakenly arrested in Allentown. He posted bond, but ICE asked Allentown police to hold Galarza based on the false assertion he might be an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic. Eventually Galarza and the American Civil Liberties Union sued for damages. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that ICE detainers are requests, not mandates, so Galarza’s constitutional rights were violated. Lehigh County was ordered to pay Galarza $95,000 on top of the $50,000 combined paid by Allentown and the federal government.

This 2014 ruling prompted prison boards across Pennsylvania, including the Butler County board, to review and update policies regarding ICE detainers. The incentive was avoiding a repetition of Lehigh County’s $95,000 mistake.

This prudent update of policy by our prison board was recorded in a research paper compiled by law students at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. The paper was commissioned by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition. It was titled “A Changing Landscape: Pennsylvania Counties Re-evaluate Policies on Immigration Detainers.”

So, to summarize this essay, the Allentown police made a bad arrest, which an ICE detainer exacerbated. The federal court case cost Lehigh County $95,000; other counties changed their policies to avoid similar penalties. An immigration lobby unjustly labeled Butler County a sanctuary county.

For the record, and adding to the intrigue, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a mainstay among civil rights advocacy groups, has labeled the Center for Immigration Studies a hate group, They point to one of its founders, retired Michigan ophthalmologist John Tanton, calling him a pro-eugenics racist.

At the same time, Rich Lowry, conservative Washington Post columnist whose work frequently appears on this page, writes: “I rely on the work of the Center of Immigration studies all the time. The Center brings a responsible, fact-based approach to a hot-button issue, and is an invaluable asset to the cause of sensible immigration reform. Its research routinely debunks entrenched misconceptions about our immigration policy.”

Follow the road signs at your own discretion — and when you’re in familiar territory, ignore them when you know the directions don’t apply.