{"id":153599,"date":"2026-03-31T20:35:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/153599\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T20:35:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:35:07","slug":"proposed-county-policy-sets-protocols-for-ice-law-enforcement-interactions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/153599\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed county policy sets protocols for ICE, law enforcement interactions"},"content":{"rendered":"

A proposed Lackawanna County policy would set protocols for potential interactions with federal immigration agents and other law enforcement officials, but it\u2019s not the \u201cProtect Our Neighbors Act\u201d ordinance Democratic Commissioner Bill Gaughan proposed and continues to push.<\/p>\n

The policy commissioners are expected to consider Wednesday \u201cestablishes uniform guidelines\u201d aimed at ensuring such interactions \u201coccur in a lawful, consistent, and coordinated manner\u201d within county facilities. It \u201cdoes not purport to enact a sanctuary ordinance or otherwise extend beyond the scope of commissioner authority as constrained by federal and state law.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while Democratic Commissioner Thom Welby described it as an alternative to Gaughan\u2019s proposed ordinance \u2014 legislation seeking to bar county cooperation in federal immigration enforcement absent a judicial warrant signed by a judge \u2014 he said it achieves many of the same goals. It would effectively restrict working county employees from interacting with immigration agents without consulting a superior and the county solicitor, Welby contends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does prohibit interaction with them without consult of (the employee\u2019s) department head or director, but primarily counsel,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can\u2019t do anything without speaking to counsel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LackawannaLackawanna County Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Thom Welby confer before the commissioners\u2019 meeting held at the county government center in Scranton Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n

Gaughan, who proposed his ordinance in early February, expressed some misgivings Tuesday about the alternative policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ordinance that I proposed, I think, sets clear, enforceable standards and it draws a bright line that protects our residents and our employees from being placed in legally uncertain situations,\u201d Gaughan said. \u201cWhat concerns me the most about this policy is that the \u2026 original policy that (Welby) had sent out about a week ago was much stronger and more closely aligned with the ordinance that I had put forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

The version that appeared on Wednesday\u2019s meeting agenda<\/a> as of Tuesday afternoon does not include language, present in an earlier version, explicitly stating that local government participation in \u201cformal immigration enforcement partnerships\u201d is voluntary. Other apparently removed language acknowledged that \u201cICE administrative detainers are requests, not mandatory commands,\u201d and noted that detaining individuals \u201con the basis of an administrative detainer alone \u2014 without a judicial warrant \u2014 may expose the County to Fourth Amendment civil liability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaughan did not say Tuesday whether he\u2019ll support the policy in its current form. Efforts to reach Republican Commissioner Chris Chermak were not immediately successful.<\/p>\n

The protocol<\/p>\n

The policy as proposed specifically establishes a series of steps for employees to take if immigration agents or other law enforcement officials appear at a county facility, beginning with requesting their full names, agency associations, official credentials and badge numbers.<\/p>\n

Employees would then ask about the purpose of the visit \u2014 executing a warrant or requesting access to records, for example \u2014 and request a copy of any warrant, court order, subpoena or other legal document the agents or officers present. Employees should not return original documents and should note whether any document presented is signed by a judge or issued by an official, the policy notes.<\/p>\n

The next step requires employees to contact their direct superior and, \u201cas appropriate,\u201d their department director, as well as the county chief of staff.<\/p>\n

The policy says the county solicitor should always be contacted when agents present a judicial warrant, subpoena or court order; request access to restricted areas or confidential records; request a \u201cdetainer hold\u201d at the county prison; request records by phone, email or other informal means; and when there\u2019s uncertainty about the legal validity or scope of a request.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Law enforcement agents conduct enforcement activity in an area open to the public, County employees should remain calm and professional, do not physically interfere with lawful enforcement activity, notify supervisors, Chief of Staff and security personnel, and take reasonable steps to maintain the safety of clients and staff,\u201d per the proposed policy.<\/p>\n

It also says departments should ensure employees receive relevant training and document any law enforcement activities that occur at county facilities. They should specifically document the date and time of the encounter; the agency involved; the names and badge numbers of officers, if available; the types of legal documents presented; the stated purpose of the visit; actions taken by county staff; and the names of the \u201csupervisor and\/or County Solicitor notified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among other purposes, the policy is designed to ensure county operations comply with applicable law and constitutional protections, protect confidential and legally protected information and maintain the \u201csafety, security, and orderly operation of County facilities serving the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

It also recognizes the authority of the county Court of Common Pleas over \u201ccourt-controlled facilities and proceedings,\u201d and notes commissioners\u2019 inability to direct or bind elected county row officers \u201cin the exercise of their independent statutory functions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis policy establishes procedures to ensure that County employees respond appropriately, refer enforcement officers to proper County authorities when necessary, and maintain compliance with all applicable legal requirements,\u201d it reads. \u201cThis policy is also made with the explicit understanding that effective law enforcement requires cooperation among agencies at all levels of government.\u201d<\/p>\n

The meeting<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s meeting at the county government center in downtown Scranton begins at 10 a.m. and is likely to feature debate and a potential vote on the policy proposal.<\/p>\n

Without committing to supporting it, Gaughan acknowledged \u201csomething is better than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the something that I was willing to compromise on was the original version that he (Welby) had sent out,\u201d Gaughan said. \u201cAt the end of the day I think it\u2019s important to get something done, but \u2026 we\u2019re still talking about it so, at this point, hopefully we can get something accomplished before 10 a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

Welby noted earlier Tuesday that the policy \u201ccan be amended any time going forward should we feel there\u2019s a need to address anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be clear that this can be amended at any time in the future and as often as might be necessary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meeting agendas are available online at lackawannacounty.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A proposed Lackawanna County policy would set protocols for potential interactions with federal immigration agents and other law…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121465,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,139,28,178,180,179],"class_list":["post-153599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153599","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=153599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/153599\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=153599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=153599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=153599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}