ICE latest: What immigration agreements and policies are in place in Philadelphia, its suburbs, New Jersey and Delaware?

Of the more than 100 local law enforcement agencies participating in the 287(g) program in Pennsylvania as of July 9, only two are in Greater Philadelphia.

Currently, the Lansdowne Borough Constable’s Office in Lansdowne, Delaware County, has a 287(g) agreement with ICE under its task force model, as does the Pennsylvania State Constable Office Honey Brook Precinct 1, in Chester County, according to ICE’s online database.

In 2025, the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office was the most high-profile local agency in Philadelphia and its suburbs that signed a collaboration agreement with ICE through the 287(g) program. The move was met with a lawsuit and widespread pushback from community members and elected officials.

In January, newly elected Democratic Sheriff Danny Ceisler officially ended that agreement. Under the previous Sheriff Fred Harran, sheriff’s deputies received training from ICE, but Ceisler said the office never fully implemented the program.

In 2025, Delaware joined New Jersey and several other states in banning local law enforcement agents from signing collaboration agreements with ICE.

There are currently no local law enforcement agencies participating in 287(g) collaboration agreements with ICE.

State law effectively bans local law enforcement agencies from participating in 287(g) collaboration agreements with ICE. There are no existing collaboration agreements in the state.

Pennsylvania State Police operates under an internal policy that limits cooperation with ICE and instructs state police not to comply with ICE administrative detainers. However, state police may “provide pertinent information” to ICE at its discretion. Advocates are pushing Gov. Josh Shapiro to strengthen the state trooper policy and end ICE access to state databases without a judicial warrant, among other measures.

Democratic state legislators in the House and Senate have introduced bills that would restrict ICE activities in the state and prohibit Pennsylvania law enforcement from entering into 287(g) agreements. None have been passed.

Philadelphia

Philadelphia City Council passed seven measures in its “ICE Out” package in April, codifying the city’s “sanctuary status,” ensuring local police do not enter into 287(g) agreements with ICE, and limiting federal immigration agents’ activities in the city. Six of the seven bills took effect July 7.

A federal judge ruled in July that one of the bills, which bans ICE agents from wearing masks and using unmarked vehicles, can’t take effect pending the outcome of the Trump administration’s lawsuit.

Limits on cooperation with ICE by local law enforcement have been in place since January 2016, when then-Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order specifying that local officials would not honor ICE administrative detainers.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office will prosecute ICE agents who commit crimes and formed a national coalition of district attorneys willing to prosecute any federal law enforcement officials who commit crimes.

Krasner has called for protections at the Criminal Justice Center, where ICE has arrested an increasing number of people, according to advocates. More than 5,000 people signed a petition that immigrant rights groups presented to Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal, asking her to curtail ICE arrests in and around the courthouse.

Bilal has said her office does not cooperate with immigration enforcement officers and does not permit ICE arrests in the courthouse. But she said activists’ demands are not feasible because she lacks legal authority over arrests outside the building.

Bucks County

While announcing his office’s withdrawal from the 287(g) agreement in January, Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler said he has also instituted a policy prohibiting sheriff’s deputies from asking victims of and witnesses to crimes, as well as court observers, about their immigration status.

Ceisler also stated the county is “not a sanctuary county,” and its Department of Corrections continues to share data with ICE.

Bucks County commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 18 to oppose the use of warehouses in the county for ICE detention centers, following “credible” reports that DHS was looking to purchase warehouses in the area. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks, also said he opposed converting warehouses into detention centers in his district, and said DHS told his office there are no plans to open a detention facility in Bucks County.

Chester County

Chester County has not made any recent changes to its policies regarding ICE. The county told WHYY News in January 2025 that Chester County Prison cooperates with ICE to the extent required by law. It also does not detain people based solely on ICE administrative detainers, per the 2014 Galarza v. Szalcyzk ruling.

Delaware County

The county has not made any recent changes to its policies regarding ICE. It does not detain people based solely on ICE administrative detainers, and abides by law and the 2014 Galarza v. Szalcyzk ruling.

Haverford Township passed legislation limiting its police department’s cooperation with ICE, and on Feb. 18, Upper Darby Township passed a resolution limiting local law enforcement collaboration with ICE civil immigration enforcement.

Montgomery County

In March, the Montgomery County board of commissioners approved a resolution restricting federal civil immigration enforcement on county property.

The legislation also codified the county’s internal policy, passed in June 2025, that prohibits county employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials unless legally required to do so. The measure also reinforces the county’s commitment to not enter into a 287(g) collaboration agreement with ICE.

Also in June 2025, the Montgomery County Correctional Facility said it will no longer honor ICE detainer requests without a judicial warrant.

Following an ICE raid in Lower Providence Township that sparked widespread outrage among elected officials and community members, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele and the Police Chiefs Association of Montgomery County released a statement clarifying that police departments throughout the county do not enforce civil immigration orders. The statement said a judge must sign all enforceable warrants, and noted that no police departments in Montgomery County participate in 287(g) collaboration agreements with ICE. It also outlined several other policies related to ICE.

To date, at least seven municipalities, including Narberth Borough, Cheltenham Township, Ambler Borough, West Norriton Township and Norristown Municipality, have either released statements or passed legislation expressing their support for immigrant residents and/or limiting local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE. Advocates are calling on all 62 of the county’s municipalities to limit cooperation with ICE and have pushed back on some policies they say are not strong enough.

The state joined New Jersey and several other states in banning local law enforcement agents from signing collaboration agreements with ICE in May.

In July 2025, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer signed into law legislation prohibiting local law enforcement from entering into 287(g) agreements, along with several other measures limiting federal immigration enforcement actions within the state.

Before the end of the session June 30, the General Assembly passed one law limiting when local law enforcement and departments can honor ICE administrative detainer requests and another measure that prohibits Delaware law enforcement from assisting federal agents conducting civil immigration enforcement activities at sensitive locations, including schools, houses of worship and medical centers.

In March, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed three bills into law restricting ICE activities in the state. The measures:

• Codify the attorney general’s Immigrant Trust Directive, first issued in 2018, which limits state law enforcement officers from providing voluntary assistance to federal immigration authorities.
• Restrict law enforcement, including ICE agents, from wearing masks to shield their identities
• Limit state agencies and health care facilities from collecting information regarding people’s immigration statuses

The Trump administration is suing New Jersey over the legislation banning face coverings for law enforcement agents.

The administration is also suing New Jersey over an executive order Sherrill issued prohibiting ICE from carrying out civil immigration enforcement on state property.

In February, Sherrill launched a government-run portal where residents can upload videos of immigration enforcement activity in February.

Before leaving office,  former Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law.

The Safe Communities Act in January. The measure directs the New Jersey attorney general to develop a plan for how sensitive places — including schools, houses of worship and health care facilities — handle interactions with federal immigration agents. Officials are mandated to adopt those policies and display them in public-facing locations to ensure immigrant residents are aware of them and encouraged to continue to frequent those places.