The State College borough council voted Monday night to table a motion calling for reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, after the sponsor of it said there were not the votes needed to pass it.
The proposed resolution had called for the federal government to take action, including not allowing federal agents to wear masks, ending the use of violent force at peaceful protests and ensuring due process in enforcement. State College council member Matt Herndon had made the motion at the Feb. 2 meeting, but said he was moving to table it because he did not expect it to pass.
He said avoiding retribution now does not mean it won’t happen.
“ICE not coming here doesn't mean that they stop existing," he said. "It doesn't mean that they will stop doing what they're doing. It just means that they're doing it somewhere else for now. Some other vulnerable population in America faces the brunt of it.”
Herndon said while council does not have the power to direct federal agents, “I had hoped that we could at least come together on this resolution to bear official witness to these violent violations of our Constitution, a document we have all sworn to uphold.”
At the Feb. 2 meeting, several council members had expressed concerns that a resolution would attract what one called “unwanted attention” from ICE. At the same time, they said, the borough does not have the means to stop federal operations.
Council member Nalini Krishnankutty said like many in the community, she has been “horrified” by action taken by ICE. But after speaking with immigration scholars, she said it’s important to consider who will be impacted.
“If council members begin to speak out a certain way, would that mean that ICE is now suddenly going to be in State College?" she said. "And that impact on a family here is going to be very different than an impact on me."
Krishnankutty urged the borough council to investigate actions it can take that will have an impact on the area.
