LANCASTER, Pa. — The Lancaster County Commissioners passed a resolution Wednesday declaring the county as a "non-sanctuary" county regarding illegal immigration.
The 2-1 vote came in response to the "Trust Act," which was passed by the Lancaster City Council last month, and prevents city employees from asking about a resident’s immigration status unless required to do so by law, or from assisting in immigration enforcement without a warrant.
The resolution calls on municipalities in the county to "cooperate with federal law enforcement, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, regarding persons found to be in the United States and Lancaster County illegally."
Commissioners who supported the resolution say that it is meant to promote cooperation with law enforcement.
"The message we want to send is we're going to follow the law," said Commissioner Ray D'Agostino, who supported the resolution. "We will cooperate with federal law enforcement officials, from Immigration Services, with respect to people who are here illegally."
Opponents of the resolution say it would, in practice, discourage immigrants from cooperating with law enforcement for serious crimes.
"The commissioners say that they're doing this in the name of public safety," said Daniel Alvalle, the Pennsylvania president of the immigrants rights group CASA. "These resolutions are going to actually do the exact opposite. It's going to discourage people from coming forward and reporting crimes, for fear that they're going to be asked about their immigration status."
The 2-1 vote saw D'Agostino and Commissioner Josh Parsons vote in favor of the resolution, with Commissioner Alice Yoder voting against.