While West View officials have not been asked about cooperating with federal immigration authorities, they would not be interested in doing so, Mayor John Henry said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities across the country and locally have prompted numerous borough residents to raise concerns, he said.
“I believe this council is unanimous that we would not support any kind of ICE activity within the borough that we can control,” he said. “We would be compelled, obviously, to respond to any illegal activity in the borough or in support of federal law enforcement if there was some kind of activity that required police response.”
Henry spoke at a council meeting Feb. 11 in response to a few residents who raised concerns about ICE, and how West View would respond or cooperate with ICE in the borough.
Resident Brian Cunningham said he has biracial children, and through them is connected with kids who are mixed race. His children, he said, often get mistaken for Hispanic to the point people sometimes speak Spanish to them.
“They have used the word ‘terrified’ to me. That’s a real damn problem for me. Their friends have used the word ‘terrified,’ ” he said.
“ICE has stopped U.S. citizens without cause, without warrant, no probable cause, pulled U.S. citizens over in Robinson. What happens if they do that here? What happens if my kids get grabbed by some roving bands of armed men? What do we do in our community? What happens when small kids get to see their friends, parents or loved ones grabbed by armed assailants in our community?”
Cunningham said he talked with neighbors while shoveling out after the big Jan. 25 snowstorm.
“All my neighbors are kind of freaked out and concerned about the same thing,” he said. “Armed people with masks have no place in these streets. I don’t care what the reason.”
Resident David Kremmel spoke from another perspective, citing two incidents involving his 96-year-old father. He said that two times over the past five years, his father was nearly hit in the yard of his Ross home by vehicles driven by undocumented immigrants who did not speak English. He was then left to pay $17,000 to repair the damage done.
“It’s not all what the news media says that they’re all angels walking around. They nearly killed my father in his own yard. This is something that ought to be considered, too, when you’re thinking about all these different laws and being uncooperative with ICE,” Kremmel said. “I’m not saying they’re wonderful, either, but you have to look at the big picture of all this. He’s a citizen. He’s a vet. He didn’t fight to have our country invaded. These are things that need to be thought of when you want to be uncooperative with federal law enforcement.”
Resident Kelly Brown asked West View council to take action.
“I am also concerned not about if but when ICE comes to our neighborhood,” she said. “I want to know if there’s an answer to what West View would do if they were called on to cooperate? Is there any expectation that our local authorities would help locate people if they were asked to? Confirm or deny where they lived or if they’ve been there? Would they be called to assist in apprehending them? Would they be able to use any of our facilities or properties, stuff that our tax dollars pay for?”
Henry said it’s difficult to speculate.
“We’ve had discussions with the police chief. We will do the minimum response to make sure our residents are safe as well as respond and protect federal and other law enforcement,” he said. “It’s so difficult in this time to answer specific questions when we don’t have the specifics in front of us.”
Brown said she hopes West View will be proactive instead of reactive, citing the Oakmont case of Jose Flores, whom ICE took into custody in late January and released Feb. 7 .
“Everybody saw the response in Oakmont where there was that gentleman who worked for Oakmont Bakery who got snatched while warming up his vehicle to take his daughter to school,” she said. “The reaction by their council was very swift. They immediately draft a resolution they plan on voting on later saying that they plan on not cooperating. I suppose my ask for the future might be an affirmative statement that we would not cooperate.”
On Feb. 17, Oakmont Borough Council passed the resolution prohibiting the borough from engaging in noncriminal federal immigration law enforcement.
Nicole, a resident who did not want her last name published, also asked that West View take a proactive approach and pass a resolution formally limiting the borough’s cooperation with ICE.
“Whether our neighbors are citizens or not, every single human deserves to feel safe in our community and should not be afraid to leave their house or live their lives,” she said.
“Taking steps to put forth an ordinance or a resolution would really help all of us as a community, regardless of our status, and it would help all of us feel safer.”
