Pat Wandling: Bucks sheriff and commissioners clash over ICE
In a matter of a few weeks, Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran has shown the Bucks County Commissioners what a federal cooperation agreement between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and local law enforcement looks like.
It started when Harran, a longtime law-enforcement officer, applied to join a new federal program, 287 (g), which authorizes ICE to delegate immigration-officer functions to state and local law enforcement officers.
The sheriff applied, but when he discussed it at a recent Bucks County Commissioners meeting he was met with little enthusiasm from the board’s Democratic majority, Commissioners Chairman Bob Harvie and Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia.
Republican Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo supported Harran. Harvie and Ellis-Marseglia claimed only the county, not a department head, can enter into a contract, which was later “confirmed’ by their solicitor, Amy Fitzpatrick, a Democratic candidate for Common Pleas judge. And the left-wing American Civil Liberties Union chimed in disapprovingly.
Despite the undercurrent in Doylestown, Harran submitted an application and it was accepted. And last week, Bucks deputies participated in the extradition of an illegal-immigrant criminal from Brooklyn who was wanted on arrest warrants from Bucks County.
Harran, who is up for reelection this year, apparently is not in the doghouse and that begs the question. If only the county can enter into contracts, as Ellis-Marseglia said, why didn’t they? Did the sheriff even have the option?
Or are the majority commissioners unwilling to take part in the ICE program? Are Ellis-Marseglia and Harvie opposed to ICE arresting and possibly deporting illegal migrant criminals? I doubt it, but it is perplexing.
If there is that lack of interest in collaborating and contracting with ICE, it dovetails with the stance taken by some leftist Democrats. We’ve seen newscasts of Democratic officials fighting ICE — physically — seeming more concerned about the immigrants in custody. New Jersey comes to mind.
I think Sheriff Harran deserves a pat on the back rather than a hard time.
He also touted the recent joint action that included the sheriff’s department. The collaborative effort led to the capture of 40-year-old suspect Elias Ortega who was first arrested in October 2016 and charged with domestic assault. He faced further charges in December 2016 for the alleged sexual assault of a minor. And he escaped.
Ortega was caught last month in Brooklyn, ending a nearly decade-long search. And then the Bucks County sheriff got involved. Ortega was brought to the county on May 27, he was arraigned, bail was set at $2 million, and he is locked up in the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Doylestown.
The Ortega case is testament to the importance of intradepartmental police work across different jurisdictions, according to Harran. He also cited the problems with the old system in 2016 when immigration issues were “challenging” and criminal migrants could better evade justice and possibly commit other crimes. The “system” also prevented law enforcement from gaining a full understanding of the immigration status of someone like Ortega.
And because of the system failures at that time, Ortega was able to commit another heinous crime in the very same community involving a 14-year-old girl.
“We need to do everything we can to prevent this from happening… especially when they shouldn’t be here to begin with,” Harran said.
Harran believes safety and security demand that everyone work together — and that means local, state, and federal agencies.
We might throw in the Bucks County Commissioners who have an opportunity to clarify official county policy regarding contractual arrangements.
Pat Wandling hosts Speak Your Piece, from which this commentary is adapted, weekdays at noon on WBCB 1490.
