PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Upper Darby Township Council unanimously passed an ordinance limiting its involvement with federal immigration enforcement.
The ordinance prevents township personnel from assisting ICE in detaining or transferring immigrants. Township agencies are not supposed to support or assist ICE, Customs or Border Protection agents with immigration enforcement operations.
Nearly a quarter of the township’s population are immigrants.
In January, 46-year-old Upper Darby resident Parady La died in ICE custody.
Before the vote Wednesday night, resident Latiful Hasan pleaded with the council to support the ordinance.
“ICE should be out from this township, period,” he said. “We voted for you guys to stand up for us. Now it’s time for you to stand up for us to show that you actually support our concern.”
Rhonda Bell, an election worker, said she’s fearful of ICE agents showing up at her precinct.
“Honestly, I do not want to have to, at 6 o’clock in the morning, confront somebody with a gun in uniform and harassing me and asking me for ID,” she told council. “I have really been fighting with whether or not I’m going to even work the polls.
“I don’t want to live in fear. This is my township. I love all my immigrant family and friends.”
