{"id":117606,"date":"2026-02-19T00:43:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T00:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/117606\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T00:43:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T00:43:15","slug":"officials-react-to-delco-sanctuary-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/117606\/","title":{"rendered":"Officials react to Delco “sanctuary” status"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delaware County on Thursday night was named one of 500 jurisdictions across the country and one of 16 in Pennsylvania<\/a> that the Trump administration considers to be obstructing federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,\u201d DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a news release.<\/p>\n

It was not clear whether any action would be taken against Delaware County or any of the counties and cities on the list. There were no specific grievances listed against any of those entities.<\/p>\n

The reaction in Delaware County on Friday ran the spectrum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not an arm of the federal or state government and will not be bullied or harassed away from our core mission of service directly to our residents,\u201d said Dr. Monica Taylor, Delaware County Council chair.<\/p>\n

On the other end was Delaware County Republican Party chief Frank Agovino: \u201cfor too long, the current leadership of Delaware County has adopted policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delco DA<\/p>\n

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer did put out a statement in March<\/a> indicating his office would continue to work with immigration officials to hold criminals accountable and assist in removing them from the country if they are in the United States illegally.<\/p>\n

What Stollsteimer said his office would not do, however, is assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in conducting \u201cround-ups\u201d of illegal immigrants who have not broken any laws.<\/p>\n

\"DelawareDelaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer official portrait.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur ability to seek justice for all is built upon community trust; once lost, that trust is extraordinarily hard to get back,\u201d Stollsteimer said. \u201cWe will not jeopardize that trust under my watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stollsteimer said, without exception, his staff is not to inquire about a victim or a witness\u2019 legal status in the United States nor \u201cwill we report to immigration officials a victim or witness who we learn is not a legal resident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those comments came in response to an ICE raid in Upland where borough police and Chester Township police assisted immigration officials in taking one undocumented Mexican person into custody.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMy policy, stating that our county detectives would not participate in ICE\u2019s 287 (g) program but instead focus on their mission to investigate state crimes, is common sense, consistent with my community\u2019s values, and protected by the United States Constitution,\u201d Stollsteimer said Friday morning. \u201cI don\u2019t know what the basis is for the Trump administration\u2019s designation of Delaware County as a sanctuary jurisdiction, but it can not be my policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Associated Press reported that the factors determining what counties made the list, mandated by an executive order President Donald Trump signed April 28, included compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions and legal protections for illegal aliens.<\/p>\n

The release indicated the list \u201ccan be reviewed and changed at any time and will be updated regularly.\u201d Jurisdictions on the list will receive a formal notification of their alleged noncompliance, Noem said.<\/p>\n

These are all the counties in the Trump administration bulls-eye: Adams, Allegheny, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Dauphin, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Montour and Northampton.<\/p>\n

Individual municipalities also listed are Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, State College and York.<\/p>\n

County government<\/p>\n

\u201cThe County has not received anything more formal than finding out it was included on a list published yesterday on a DHS website,\u201d said Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor. \u201cIt\u2019s important to note that there is no agreed-upon definition of a \u2018sanctuary\u2019 county or municipality, and the County has never formally declared itself to be one. This Council \u2014 and the whole of Delaware County\u2019s government \u2014 exists for one reason: to serve every single resident who calls Delaware County home. We are not an arm of the federal or state government and will not be bullied or harassed away from our core mission of service directly to our residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DelawareDelaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor says any youth in the program will be personally mentored by council members. (DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n

County officials say the county government is in compliance with all federal laws. And, there has not been a list of grants or contracts provided that are being threatened that they have been made aware of.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain in compliance with all terms of grants and contracts in which we are a party,\u201d said Mike Connolly, director of Delaware County Communications and Public Affairs.<\/p>\n

Upper Darby<\/p>\n

A message from Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown on the landing page of the township\u2019s immigrant resources website stated that he remains committed to championing the values of Upper Darby as a thriving immigrant destination and supporting immigrant contributions to the economy, industry and culture.<\/p>\n

\"UpperUpper Darby Mayor Ed Brown<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the best and most distinguishing characteristics of Upper Darby Township is its diversity,\u201d the message reads. \u201cIt is this diversity that makes us \u2018The World in One Place.\u2019 We are proud to embrace, celebrate, and value the culture and contributions of all our residents. Immigrants bring a wealth of talents, skills, and perspectives that enrich our community, enhancing our local economy and making Upper Darby a vibrant and dynamic place to live and work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown added that Upper Darby should continue to be a place where diversity is not simply tolerated, but celebrated.<\/p>\n

\"AA sign at the Upper Darby Township line. The township had full slate of items to discuss on Wednesday night. (PETE BANNAN \u2013 DAILY TIMES)<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus as a municipal law enforcement agency is to serve and protect the community by enforcing state and local laws,\u201d Police Superintendent Tim Bernhardt said in that same post. \u201cWhen an individual commits a crime, they are held accountable under state law, regardless of their citizenship status. If federal offenses or detainers are identified during the course of our duties, we notify and coordinate with the appropriate federal authorities. However, it is important to emphasize that our role does not include proactively targeting individuals based solely on their immigration status or conducting raids against undocumented individuals. While we maintain a commitment to cooperating with all law enforcement agencies, our priority remains ensuring public safety within the scope of our local jurisdiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federal funding<\/p>\n

The administration often withholds funding to secure cooperation. It is unknown how threats of withholding funds might impact Delaware County.<\/p>\n

One local project that could be at threat is nearly $2.4 million in Solar for Schools Grants recently awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to Upper Darby School District.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Upper Darby School District Superintendent Dr. Dan McGarry, speaking about the state grant, said the district had received awards for rooftop solar at six schools in the district, but it is reliant on federal matching grants the district was hoping to secure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis funding, (state grant) only pays a portion of the project. The other half comes from the federal government. If D.C. cuts funds we will not be able to fund it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other schools in The William Penn School District, Haverford and Rose Tree Media were awarded Solar for School grants. There is no word if any or all are relying on additional federal funding.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump has made it known is not a fan of most green energy projects<\/a>, though his administration did recently green light a wind farm project off the New York coast.<\/p>\n

The political parties<\/p>\n

Local political leaders added their views.<\/p>\n

Agovino continued his earlier statement, \u201cWhether by refusing to honor ICE detainer requests, prohibiting local law enforcement from sharing information with DHS, or allocating taxpayer resources to shield individuals in violation of federal immigration law, the Delco Dems have sent a clear message: ideology comes before safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recent designation of Delaware County as a \u2018sanctuary jurisdiction\u2019 by the Department of Homeland Security is not a political stunt, it is a serious warning grounded in the rule of law and the imperative of public safety. Delaware County is purposely obstructing immigration enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Delaware County Democrats who run our county are not above federal law. Counties don\u2019t get to choose which laws they enforce based on political preference. Our residents deserve to know that dangerous criminals, regardless of immigration status, won\u2019t be shielded by county policy. Being a welcoming community and upholding the law are not mutually exclusive \u2014 but failing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement is a dereliction of duty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Delaware County never voted to become a sanctuary jurisdiction.\u00a0The Republican Party of Delaware County believes in the rule of law, safe communities, and accountable government. We stand with law enforcement \u2014 local and federal \u2014 and with the residents of this county who deserve transparency, not deflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Colleen Guiney, chair of the Delaware County Democratic Committee said Republicans aren\u2019t standing up for all residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that our county Republicans aren\u2019t standing up for all Delaware County residents and are allowing their party\u2019s leader to threaten and hurt our community,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will always support the law and make sure that our county is following the rules with integrity and transparency just as we have always done. Our law enforcement officials will carefully make the decisions they deem necessary to keep our community safe, within the law.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Delaware County on Thursday night was named one of 500 jurisdictions across the country and one of 16…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":117607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[212,182,2341,139,28,210,147,149,148,150],"class_list":{"0":"post-117606","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upper-darby","8":"tag-delaware-county","9":"tag-local-news","10":"tag-media","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-top-stories-dtd","14":"tag-upper-darby","15":"tag-upper-darby-headlines","16":"tag-upper-darby-news","17":"tag-upper-darby-township"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}