SCRANTON — Lackawanna County’s Democratic commissioners tabled a vote on a proposed policy setting protocols for potential interactions with federal immigration agents after critics panned it for not going far enough.
Some public speakers at Wednesday’s marathon meeting dismissed the policy as an insufficient alternative to the “Protect Our Neighbors Act” ordinance Democratic Commissioner Bill Gaughan proposed in early February. Commissioners have yet to formally act on that legislation, which seeks to prohibit any county cooperation in federal immigration enforcement absent a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
The tabled policy stops short of prohibiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or other agencies tasked with enforcing immigration law, but would establish procedures for employees to follow if ICE agents or other law enforcement officials appear at county facilities. It would effectively restrict working county employees from interacting with those individuals without consulting a superior and the county solicitor, Democratic Commissioner Thom Welby contends.
The Lackawanna County Commissioners listen to a speaker during the commissioners’ meeting held at the county government center in Scranton Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Local residents imploring commissioners to adopt Gaughan’s ordinance were largely disappointed by the policy proposal Welby put forward, which some see as designed more to protect the county than the potential targets of the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration crackdowns and mass-deportation agenda. Raising moral concerns shared by many public speakers in recent weeks, University of Scranton theology professor Will Cohen, Ph.D., said he’s “more than a little worried” the would-be policy “amounts to a protect ourselves act.”
“The Protect Our Neighbors Act seems to put the most vulnerable people first, but the county policy of Commissioner Welby doesn’t actually mention those who are most vulnerable,” Cohen said, describing it as lacking. “It emphasizes the need for cooperation with a federal policy that has been morally condemned by very solid citizens.”
The proposed policy notes it’s made “with the explicit understanding that effective law enforcement requires cooperation among agencies at all levels of government.”
People stand in the commissioner’ board room during the public meeting held at the Lackawanna County Government Center in Scranton Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Scranton resident Jenny Gonzalez said she, too, was “very frustrated” by the policy proposal.
“In my opinion this proposal does not protect the immigrant and refugee populations in our county,” she said. “In the new policy proposal there is absolutely zero language about, one, limiting county employees from voluntarily asking individuals about their citizenship or immigration status, and two, limiting county officials from assisting with immigration enforcement.”
Gaughan wants both of those things included in whatever policy or legislation commissioners ultimately adopt.
Another regular speaker at recent meetings, Sarah Balmer of Covington Twp., became emotional when expressing her disappointment with the lack of action on Gaughan’s ordinance. Balmer adopted her daughter from China in 2009 and fears the Scranton Prep senior could be profiled and targeted by immigration agents despite being a U.S. citizen.
People stand in attendance during the commissioners’ meeting held at the Lackawanna County Government Center in Scranton Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
“This moment feels especially disheartening, as you have the opportunity to say to the immigrant community ‘we see you, we care about you and we will use the limited authority we have to safeguard your constitutional rights,’” she said. “And for reasons that remain unclear, you chose not to do that. I cannot tell you how deeply hurtful and disappointing this is to me and to my family.”
The few public speakers who endorsed ICE raised the issue of crime perpetrated by undocumented immigrants, as did Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak, who read the names of murdered Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and other victims of such crime before vowing to oppose any ordinance or policy “that has a potential to interfere” with any law enforcement agency’s attempt to carry out their lawful duties.
“You talk about protect our neighbors, who’s protecting them?” he asked, referring to the aforementioned victims. “Who protected them? They lost their lives because of illegal aliens, people that shouldn’t have been here, people that had rap sheets and people that ICE agents were looking for.”
The policy in question would create confusion and uncertainty among county employees and could prompt other problems for the county, Chermak contends.
“I would never agree to a policy that would even appear to limit law enforcement from legally doing their job or that would prevent Lackawanna County or its employees from complying with the legitimate actions of federal, state and local authorities,” he said.
Lackawanna County Controller and Scranton resident Gary DiBileo speaks during the commissioners’ meeting held at the county government center in Scranton Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Earlier in the meeting, county Controller Gary DiBileo addressed commissioners in his personal capacity and said “we all want ICE to do what was originally promised by our government, which is to apprehend the worst of the worst illegal-immigrant criminals.” All criminals, regardless of immigration or citizenship status, should be held to account, he said.
“However, unlike our trained local police, what we have seen are masked federal agents scooping people off the streets, too often without legal warrants, and based on the color of their skin,” DiBileo said. “There are political forces that want us to believe that the people crossing our southern border from South America are all rapists, murderers, drug dealers or from insane asylums. That is a lie. The vast majority of people crossing the border are trying to escape famine, poverty, violence, war and natural disasters. Quite simply, they are desperate.”
Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan looks on during the commissioners’ meeting held at the county government center in Scranton Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
By the time the policy proposal finally came up for a vote, Gaughan made a motion to table it, something a number of public speakers requested as they called for the county to take a harder line against ICE cooperation. He did so after noting his “great respect” for Welby and his appreciation that the policy appeared on the agenda, even though he feels it’s insufficient.
“The policy that Commissioner Welby put forward, instead of setting firm rules, provides guidance: what employees should do, who they should call and how to respond,” Gaughan said. “Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but in my opinion it does not go as far as I believe it should.”
While Gaughan continues to back his original ordinance, he said whatever the county ultimately adopts should explicitly prohibit cooperation in federal immigration enforcement unless a judicial warrant is presented. Simply establishing protocols for handling potential interactions with and requests from immigration agents isn’t enough, he said.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Thom Welby speaks during the commissioners’ meeting held at the county government center in Scranton Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Welby, who remains concerned that Gaughan’s proposed ordinance could create civil and even criminal liability for the county and county officials, was reluctant to table a vote on the alternative policy.
“I’d love to see this go forward and adopt it and move forward with these guidelines tomorrow, not waiting, and then amend it as we see fit,” he said. “Tabling this now — I don’t know what we’re going to come up with in the future (or) if we’re going to come up with anything in the future — but I respect Commissioner Gaughan and his passion for this.”
Gaughan’s motion to table the policy then passed by a 2-1 vote, with he and Welby in favor and Chermak opposed, prompting applause from the standing-room-only crowd.