1 Chester Co. Law Enforcement Agency Has Entered Into ICE Agreement

HONEY BROOK, PA — A Pennsylvania State Constable's office based in Chester County is one of the only law enforcement agencies in eastern Pennsylvania who has signed an agreement to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

State Constable David Jones, located in Honey Brook, has signed the 287g agreement, a voluntary partnership with ICE that gives him the ability to identify and arrest individuals for immigrations offenses.

Jones represents one of only two law enforcement agencies in the five-county Philadelphia region to sign on to the agreement. The other is the Lansdowne Borough Constable's Office in Delaware County, though local authorities there say the constable in question is not certified.

Nearly all other law enforcement agencies in eastern Pennsylvania, ranging from local police departments, sheriff's offices, district attorney's offices, and state police have said the same thing: they will cooperate with ICE when they have obtained warrants, as required by law. Many in southeastern Pennsylvania have further clarified that they will not provide any further cooperation beyond that bare minimum, meaning they will not share data or government-owned facilities with ICE.

The voluntary 287g agreement not only allows for that cooperation, but it is referred to Homeland Security as a "force multiplier," essentially deputizing local officers with the roles and responsibilities of an ICE agent.

This type of agreement signed by his office is known as the "task force" model, and it's the most common in Pennsylvania and the widest-reaching. Other agreements apply specifically to the processing of immigrants in jails and warrant service officers.

Jones has faced recent intense scrutiny for the agreement.

"Does everyone here know that you signed an agreement with ICE and that it has been approved for Honey Brook Area?" Honey Brook Township Democratic Committee Person Marion Perez wrote on his Facebook page. "Do people also know that you can dissolve the agreement at anytime, if you choose to do so? What I would like to know, since you have been vague with me, is can there be some transparency about what you are doing and who is supporting you in the Honey Brook area, concerning turning our town into a circus?"

Jones responded, but did not address her questions.

"Mrs. Perez if we need to have a conversation you can email or direct message me to discuss further," he wrote. "I am not sure what you’re implying when you stated 'you have been vague with me.' I don’t believe we have ever met before."

Patch has reached out to Jones for comment on the 287g agreement.

It's not clear to what extent the agreement has been utilized by Jones and ICE in Chester County.

The agreement has seen more significant traction in central Pennsylvania, which is home to the bulk of the 68 law enforcement agencies statewide that have signed.

Meanwhile, a bill has been proposed in the state legislature that would restrict the degree to which local law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania can utilize the 287g agreements.

ICE says they've signed 1,499 agreements nationwide as of March 2.