Cheltenham residents urge officials to adopt immigrant welcoming policy

From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about life in Philly’s suburbs do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration has forced some localities and police departments in Pennsylvania to rethink their relationship with the federal government.

A growing number of communities in Montgomery County have turned to welcoming policies to limit local law enforcement’s collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Residents in Montgomery County’s third-largest community now are urging Cheltenham Township to join the ranks and establish a public-facing policy that outlines its relationship with ICE.

“We want anybody who enters Cheltenham for whatever reason to be granted dignity and respect and to be protected,” said Judy Heath, 65, of Glenside. “This is not out of nothing. This is out of what we’re seeing across the country — people just being ripped out of homes.”

An informal coalition of community organizations and neighbors drafted a written welcoming policy and submitted it to the Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners.

The policy, co-authored by Heath and Amy Fried with help from others, would prohibit Cheltenham police from assisting in ICE operations unless legally required to do so, and restricts information-sharing with immigration enforcement. It also encourages outreach to immigrant communities through multilingual communication.

“We’re not proposing new laws,” said Karenina Wolff, 40, of Elkins Park. “All it is is confirming what already exists, which is that the police, it is not their job to do the work of the federal government.”

Officials support welcoming measures, worry about ‘consequences’

The residents presented their latest request at the Sept. 17 board of commissioners’ meeting. Commissioner Matthew Areman said the township plans to introduce a policy, a set of procedures or a statement in October.

Commissioner Ann Rappoport told attendees she has also grown concerned about what she sees as “increasingly egregious, dangerous and growing federal overreach.”

“I believe that as a municipal body, we should focus on and clearly reject the erosion of our sacred constitutional and human rights,” Rappoport said. “If we want to protect the rights of people in our municipality, I’d like to see us stand up and speak out in favor of certain fundamental principles.”

While officials and police leadership in the area align with residents on the issue, Areman also expressed reservations regarding the potential for “consequences” as a result of adopting a public-facing policy or statement.

“I know some of our neighbors have done some of these things, but we want to make sure we’re being deliberate and not attracting negative attention to our township, but also expressing where our principles are,” Areman said at the meeting.

The township did not immediately respond to a request for further comment. Residents appreciated the commitment to action from the commissioners. However, some are worried that a statement might not be enough.

“If it’s a statement with no force of law behind it and if it’s a vague statement, it’s not going to be very useful,” said Tom Petersen, 67, of Rowland Park. “And we’re not going to accept that.”

Heath, a retired school social worker, said people move to Cheltenham because of its diversity and neighborly spirit.

“You just don’t know what’s going to be the next steps by this administration,” Heath said. “So let’s live our values.”

Taking action at the ‘very local’ level

A visible uptick in ICE operations since the president’s inauguration have sparked similar discussions throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.

Residents, including Randy Libros, of Cheltenham, made similar demands to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in recent months, as ICE has clamped down on Norristown. 

Libros said he feels ICE’s increased activities and raids as well as the onslaught of anti-immigration policies from the White House are indicative of a slide toward fascism. Challenging that, he said, requires action at all levels of government.

“There’s a lot of work being done nationally,” Libros, 72, said. “There’s a lot of work being done at the state level and the county level. But we also need to do it in our very local communities with our township commissioners [and] with our local law enforcement.”

Liza Meiris, 39, of Wyncote, said the stakes are high.

“Every month that we do nothing is more of a chance that people will be snatched off of our streets without due process,” Meiris said.