When Judah Marroquin learned police in Springdale Borough signed an agreement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in November, she was sick to her stomach.
“It’s finally at our doorsteps,” she thought.
Born and raised in Shaler, she has lived in neighboring Springdale Township with her husband, Carlos, and two children since 2017. But it was only recently that Carlos, an American citizen originally from Guatemala, began carrying his passport at all times.
That’s because he fears he’s the type of person — a Latino man with an accent — who would be stopped and potentially detained by ICE.
Springdale’s decision to ink a 287(g) task force agreement with ICE only brought that fear closer to home.
“If you didn’t know me, and I’m walking across the street, would you know I’m a citizen?” Carlos said. “Am I supposed to wear a badge that says ‘I’m a citizen?’”
The agreement
Statewide, 53 municipal or county law enforcement agencies have agreements with ICE, according to the agency’s website. Another community is listed as having a pending agreement that has yet to be signed by local officials.
Springdale’s agreement “allows local officers to enforce limited immigration authority while performing routine police duties, such as identifying an alien at a DUI checkpoint and sharing information directly with ICE,” according to an ICE website.
During local cases, an ICE supervisor would determine next steps, according to the site. Officers “may also exercise limited immigration authority as active participants on ICE-led task forces,” the site says.
ICE officials did not respond to requests for comment, instead referring a reporter to the agency’s website that explains its agreements with local police.
Stowe Township is the only other police department in Allegheny County with such an agreement. Monroeville’s Sixth Ward constable also has an agreement with ICE. Robinson signed an agreement last summer, but the department now doesn’t appear on ICE’s most recent database of cooperating agencies.
Coraopolis council voted 4-3 on Jan. 15 to exit its agreement with ICE after community backlash.
In Armstrong County, Kittanning, Manor and East Franklin police departments also participate in 287(g) agreements.
Living in fear
The Marroquins live in Springdale Township, which is served by Allegheny Valley Regional Police. That department does not have an agreement with ICE.
But the family regularly goes to Springdale Borough, where amenities like the Springdale Free Public Library are located, Carlos said.
Together, Judah and Carlos run a food truck called “El Chucho,” a Spanish slang term meaning something like “the stray dog” or “the mutt.” Not exactly purebred cuisine, the menu is mostly Guatemalan with influences from other regions and local Pittsburgh flavors, Carlos said.
The two were in talks to establish a brick-and-mortar location in Pittsburgh, but they halted those plans because of concerns about the financial fallout should Carlos be detained, Judah said.
Carlos is a chef by training. He arrived in the United States in 2006, moving from chain restaurants to Michelin-star kitchens. At one point, he worked as the sous chef for the British ambassador in Washington, D.C.
Carlos’ concerns about Springdale’s agreement with ICE aren’t political, he said. But he hopes community members will consider whether the agreement makes Springdale safer or just divides the area and harms families.
“It just creates a sense of unsafeness all around,” he said. “We don’t really know where is it going to reach.”
As ICE operations have intensified — and often turned violent in recent months as they have in Minneapolis — Carolina Genet said she has felt increasingly fearful for her family.
A Springdale resident since 2009, Genet is an American citizen originally from Nicaragua. She lives with her husband, a lifelong Springdale resident, and her two children.
But about two years ago, she helped to bring her sister and two nieces to Springdale from Nicaragua because, she said, they faced political persecution in their home country. They’ve since applied for asylum and obtained permission to work, she said.
Her sister and older niece found jobs at a business near Springdale, but concern about run-ins with ICE have left the family paralyzed, she said.
“They don’t go out,” Genet said. “It’s just work, home — home, work.”
Genet’s fear is bolstered by the experience of a Nicaraguan friend in California, who she said spent the holidays in an immigration detention facility.
To get to work or run errands, Genet said, she doesn’t let her family drive alone anymore.
“My niece, she has depression and anxiety because of the situation. My sister has depression and anxiety because of it,” she said. “I do have the same thing, but I need to stay stronger for them.”
When she arrived in Springdale, Genet said, it took a while to get accustomed to the language — she still prays in Spanish — and make it feel like home.
But years later, she has grown to love her community and respect local police — she even used to have an “I support the police” sign in her front yard.
The borough’s decision to sign the agreement with ICE, however, has left her “very disappointed.”
‘I would just comply’
Enrique Pacheco, a borough resident originally from Peru, said he sees “both sides.”
“I support the government doing this. The borough, this is something they have to do, but I also support immigrants — but choosing the right path (to citizenship), no shortcuts,” Pacheco said.
Now a U.S. citizen, Pacheco arrived in the United States in 2010. He worked in New York prior to bouncing around various Allegheny Valley communities, including Kittanning, Buffalo Township and Cheswick.
He’s a longtime employee of BNY Mellon, where he works as a third-party production support specialist.
Living in predominantly white areas, Pacheco said he’s not unaccustomed to being racially profiled. He said he faced heightened scrutiny from his neighbors and negative gossip in other communities.
But he has learned to deal with incidents as they arise.
“I’m used to that. If someone profiles me here, I know how to handle that situation. I would just comply. I would always be respectful toward whoever is reaching out to me,” he said. “Obviously, I’m not going to put anyone in danger.”
Still, when he heard about Springdale’s agreement, Pacheco was concerned for his son, a student in the Allegheny Valley School District.
He said he’s not worried that his son — also a U.S. citizen — would be detained, but he called the district to be sure about its policies for dealing with ICE, which put him more at ease.
“Even in the event that happens, they will validate that he’s OK. There’s nothing to worry about, but I don’t want him to go through that,” Pacheco said.
‘Police work is not partisan’
Springdale Councilman Dan Copeland, who serves as the borough’s public safety chair, said police have no intention of hunting down immigrants. He said Springdale’s officers are community-oriented, and many know immigrant families in the small borough.
But he said it’s Springdale’s job to “assist law enforcement,” and cooperating with ICE offers local officers the benefit of knowing about potential operations.
Springdale Mayor Joel Anderson and Police Chief Derek Dayoub did not respond to TribLive requests for comment, but the chief echoed Copeland’s sentiments when questioned by residents at a recent borough meeting.
Dayoub said cooperating with ICE was no different than working with other federal agencies like the FBI or ATF. Much of the anger surrounding ICE operations, Dayoub said, is the result of news and social media attention.
“Police work is not partisan — it is across the board,” Dayoub said.
Eroding trust
Keith Armstrong, an attorney with the Pennsylvania ACLU focused on immigrant rights, said it’s true ICE could conduct operations in Springdale regardless of whether the department has an agreement, but he said cooperation often weakens relationships between local police and the community.
“One key problem is that 287(g) agreements erode trust between local law enforcement agencies and immigrant communities, and ultimately that undermines public safety dramatically,” Armstrong said.
Immigrants may be more fearful to call police for help or to report a crime, he said. Plus, immigration enforcement can divert resources from departments, especially small ones, to tasks that aren’t typically their responsibility, he said.
Armstrong is involved in legal challenges to ICE agreements in Bucks and Juniata counties. There, he said, he has noted immigrants adjusting their habits to avoid activities perceived as targets for enforcement, such as Spanish-language Mass or cultural festivals.
“It is changing people’s lifestyles fairly dramatically even when it’s just been announced,” Armstrong said, “and there isn’t a pattern of enforcement by different agencies.”