As the debate over the regulation of county employees’ interactions with immigration enforcement intensifies, the Lackawanna County commissioners are preparing to make a crucial decision. A vote is anticipated next month that could set new standards for handling requests from immigration officials, according to a statement from a commissioner on Wednesday.
The Board of Commissioners Chairman, Thom Welby, indicated that the vote is likely to occur on April 1. Welby has proposed an alternative to Commissioner Bill Gaughan’s Protect Our Neighbors Act, which aims to govern interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Although Welby shared his proposal with his fellow commissioners earlier this week, he withheld its details, citing the need for internal discussion.
“Because we have to discuss it ourselves before we share it with the public,” Welby stated.
Proposals Under Scrutiny
Commissioner Bill Gaughan’s legislation seeks to prohibit county employees from aiding ICE unless there is a court order or warrant issued by a judge. Welby claimed his proposal closely aligns with Gaughan’s, a point Gaughan contested.
“First of all, I think that we share the same goal, and that is to protect our residents, support our employees, and make sure the county is acting within the law,” Gaughan commented, while expressing concerns that Welby’s proposal offers “internal guidance” that lacks enforceable clarity.
“It does not create clear, enforceable boundaries, and I believe that the Protect Our Neighbors ordinance that I put forward … does do that,” Gaughan added. “But I am happy to have the conversation and discuss those differences with Commissioner Welby.”
Commissioner Chermak’s Perspective
Commissioner Chris Chermak criticized the absence of an enforcement mechanism in Gaughan’s proposal, emphasizing the importance of legal compliance.
“We have to look at it, and we’ll make the best decision that we possibly can and do what we think is right and what’s legal,” Chermak noted. “And we have to protect, not only the residents of Lackawanna County. We have to protect the employees here in the building. So, you know, it’s not just a simple thing, and I can’t … put laws in place just on the basis of morality. What’s moral, what’s not moral, that’s not my decision … We will follow the law, and we will have discussions, and we’ll make the appropriate decisions.”
These remarks addressed moral concerns about ICE’s actions, initially raised by speakers during the meeting.
Public Reaction
Borys Krawczeniuk
/
WVIA News
Maria Johnson from the University of Scranton criticized Chermak’s stance, arguing, “What I had to say has been driven out of my mind by the extraordinary statement that, oh, law lives in a separate world from morality and good and evil,” she said. “Commissioner Gaughan’s proposed bill stays within the law. It says keep the law. Expect people in the county to keep the law. It’s not advocating rebellion in any sense.”
‘Not the Time for Meekness’
Borys Krawczeniuk
/
WVIA News
Scranton resident Amanda Karpiak addressed concerns over possible federal repercussions if Gaughan’s plan is enacted. “I just want to say that now is not the time for cowardice. Now is not the time for meekness, and now is not the time for concessions,” she urged.
Karpiak stressed the need for firm opposition to perceived abuses and constitutional violations, asserting, “If we can’t draw a hard line against ICE as a county, after all they’re doing and after all they have done, what is the point of government? What is the point of saying we can work together to the benefit of the people?”
