Commissioners counteract Harran on ICE cooperation – Bucks Round-Up – May 22, 2025
Commissioners counteract Harran on ICE cooperation
On Wednesday, Bucks County’s Board of Commissioners passed a resolution rejecting Republican Sheriff Fred Harran’s plan to coordinate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Under Harran’s 287(g) agreement with ICE, the federal agency would train deputies to serve and execute warrants entailing the arrest of illegal immigrants who have existing criminal charges. The leftist American Civil Liberties Union has promised to sue if the sheriff’s plan goes forward.
The commissioners’ majority argued the Sheriff does not have authority to proceed with the ICE contract, something Harran’s legal counsel disputed. While the new resolution does not have the full force of an ordinance or statute, Commissioner Bob Harvie argued it will shield the commissioners from legal liability “that we will have to foot the bill for.” Harvie and his fellow Democrat Diane Ellis-Marseglia voted for the measure while Republican Gene DiGirolamo opposed it, professing his trust in Harran. “I think what he’s doing now, or trying to do, is about criminals, and violent criminals,” he said. “It’s about public safety.”
Pennsbury high school might necessitate ballot question
The planned new Pennsbury High School may necessitate a ballot question whereby Pennsbury School District voters would approve or reject its construction. The reason is the school’s projected cost, insofar as material expenses could increase significantly.
District officials have stated that an overall project-cost rise of ten percent or more would make a referendum unavoidable, insofar as it would push a property tax increase above Pennsylvania’s four-percent limit. The school is expected to open in 2029.
Bradley Vasoli is the senior editor of The Independence.
