HARRISBURG – Legislation prohibiting PA law enforcement agencies from signing on to a 287(g) agreement with a federal agency will be forthcoming from Delaware County Rep. Heather Boyd. To amplify immigration enforcement, federal agencies are increasingly partnering with local law enforcement through agreements under section 287(g) of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act. The agreements allow police officers to perform immigration arrests while performing their routine duties. Boyd says law enforcement agencies under these partnerships can typically end up costing their local government large sums of money to cover any additional costs that arise. Under her proposal, any law enforcement agency currently in such an agreement would be required to terminate it. She says PA law enforcement should focus on enforcing state and local laws, not enforcing federal immigration laws. She is circulating a co-sponsorship memo seeking support of her proposal.
REP. HEATHER BOYD