Is ICE still in Philly? As Bucks ends its alliance, here’s how local officials are (or aren’t) working with federal agents

Top officials across the Philadelphia region are taking a stand against partnerships with ICE.

On Wednesday, newly-inaugurated Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler terminated a 287(g) agreement with ICE initiated by his Republican predecessor that enabled deputies to act as immigration enforcement officers. Haverford Township also passed a resolution barring participation in a 287(g) agreement.

And in Philadelphia, elected officials in the so-called sanctuary city have been continuously pushing back against ICE’s presence, with some on Wednesday calling for federal immigration agents to get out of the city.

These developments come as protests escalate against President Donald Trump’s deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to U.S. cities, after an agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis last week. Good, a poet and mother of three, was in her SUV during the incident when the agent fired into the vehicle.

Also on Wednesday, Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, that federal funding would be cut from any states that have sanctuary cities. These jurisdictions, which have policies that prevent local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, have been increasingly targeted by the president’s administration.

As local leaders continue to grapple with the ever-changing and escalating Trump immigration policy, here’s what to know about how local governments are interacting with federal immigration authorities:

Yes, ICE is still actively in Philadelphia, but Trump has not sent troops or a large swaths of federal immigration agents like he has to other major, Democratic-led cities across the U.S.

Everyone has a theory as to why that might be — Avoiding the largest city in the most important swing state? Mayor Cherelle L. Parker refraining from publicly criticizing Trump?

Yes, but city officials have formally started calling Philadelphia a “welcoming city” as sanctuary has become an increasingly toxic word because of Trump’s intention to target cities with that label.

But regardless of the name, a 2016 executive order signed by former Mayor Jim Kenney on ICE cooperation remains in place under Parker’s administration. The directive orders city authorities to not comply with ICE-issue detainer requests to hold people in custody, unless there is a judicial warrant.

District Attorney Larry Krasner, a progressive in his third term, and members of Philadelphia City Council have been among the most routinely outspoken opponents of ICE deployments. But recent comments from Sheriff Rochelle Bilal went viral last week when she called ICE “fake, wannabe law enforcement.”

Essentially, it means that sheriff deputies are no longer allowed to act as immigration authorities.

Last April, Ceisler’s predecessor Fred Harran, a Trump-aligned Republican, signed on to the partnership with ICE, stirring up controversy in the swing county. Ceisler, a Democrat who defeated Harran in November, made terminating the agreement a focal point of his campaign.

No one in Bucks had been detained under the 287(g) agreement, Ceisler said.

On Wednesday, Ceisler also signed another order that prohibits deputies from asking crime victims, witnesses, and court observers their immigration status.

Yes. Bucks County is not a sanctuary county and, in the words of Ceisler, “will never be.”

The Bucks County Department of Corrections will continue to share information with law enforcement agencies, including ICE. The federal agency will also continue to have access to county jails and Bucks will honor judicial warrants from immigration enforcement.

“It’s sporadic, it’s reports,” Ceisler said of ICE’s presence in Bucks.

“I can’t get ICE out of Bucks County,” he added. “I have no authority over them. All I can do is prevent 16 deputies from participating in a program that enables them to perform immigrant enforcement in the community.”

Bucks County was the only county in the Philadelphia region that did not appear on an initial list published by the Trump administration of sanctuary jurisdictions that could have federal funding at risk. That list was later deleted. The most recent list, published by the administration in August 2025, does not include Bucks on it.

On Monday evening, township commissioners in the Delaware County suburb approved a resolution that said Haverford police officers and resources would not be used to give local law enforcement immigration authority. Other municipalities in the county, like Radnor, have also passed resolutions limiting cooperation with ICE.

While the police department has not made a request to enter an alliance with ICE, township commissioners passed the resolution as a preventative measure.

Montgomery County’s Democratic commissioners have not passed a formal ordinance or a resolution labeling itself as a welcoming county, citing limits to their power, concerns about creating a false sense of security, and a preference for internal policy changes.

In early 2025, county officials approved a policy that limits communication between county employees and ICE officials and said that they would not answer prison detainer requests without warrants.

Local immigration advocates have been urging individual municipalities within the county to limit collaboration with ICE, especially as the county has become a hotspot for immigration enforcement. Norristown, a heavily Latino community, has specifically become a target for ICE.

“ICE has created a crisis in our neighborhoods, and we cannot afford silence, mixed signals, or leadership that only reacts once harm has already happened,” said Stephanie Vincent, a leader of Montco Community Watch, last month during a news conference at a West Norriton church.

As of early December, advocates estimated that only six out of 62 municipalities had enacted policies, though some they consider to be lackluster.

Staff Writer Katie Bernard contributed reporting.