Bucks County Sheriff Ends ICE Partnership

Just 40 miles north of Philadelphia, Bucks County has earned a reputation as the swingiest county in the swing state of Pennsylvania and one of the most closely watched political bellwethers in the country.Under the second Trump administration, the incumbent sheriff, Republican Frederick Harran, joined a growing number of conservative law enforcement officials by signing an agreement to cooperate directly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Known as 287(g) agreements, these arrangements allow state and local law enforcement to help enforce federal immigration law. The task force model Harran adopted empowered sheriff’s deputies to question people about their immigration status and make immigration-related arrests during routine encounters — including traffic stops.Community advocates protested outside the courthouse. County commissioners argued that Harran lacked the authority to sign the agreement in the first place. For many residents, the policy raised fears that everyday interactions with local law enforcement could turn into immigration enforcement actions.That backlash helped fuel the rise of Danny Ceisler, a 33-year-old Army veteran who has worked at the Pentagon and served in Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration.Running as a Democrat, Ceisler challenged Harran — a longtime sheriff with three decades in law enforcement — on a clear promise: end the county’s partnership with ICE.Ceisler won decisively. He defeated Harran by 11 points, a margin of more than 23,000 votes, delivering a stunning upset in one of the most politically divided counties in the country.His victory sent a sharp signal in the national immigration debate: even in a county Donald Trump carried, explicit alignment with ICE can be a political liability.Yesterday, on Jan. 15, he held a press conference announcing the termination of the 287(g) agreement between the Bucks County Sheriff’s Department and ICE, citing serious public safety concerns.He also signed an additional order prohibiting deputies from asking crime victims, witnesses, or court observers about their immigration status during any interaction.His message was direct: “You are safe to call 911. You are safe to report crime. You are safe to come into the courthouse and testify. This is the right balance between protecting our community from crime — and from fear.”Why this matters. Bucks County is home to more than 500,000 people, including roughly 70,000 foreign-born residents. For critics of the ICE partnership, the concern was never abstract: policies like 287(g), they argued, discourage victims and witnesses from coming forward, making everyone less safe.Ceisler’s win — and his first official act as sheriff — underscores a growing reality in American politics: immigration enforcement strategies that blur the line between local policing and federal deportation are no longer an automatic political winner, even in places long considered battleground territory.In the country’s swingiest county, fear turned out to be a losing proposition.FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivengathreads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivengapodcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YFpodcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950FACTS OVER FEARLet's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts.ABOUT NATALIENatalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.