The Bucks County Sheriff’s Department is seeking to join a controversial partnership program where local police officers help ICE enforce federal immigration laws. The department would be the first in the Philadelphia region to collaborate with ICE under an initiative known as “287 (g),” named for a section of a 1996 immigration law.

The pending agreement, which is awaiting a signature from the acting ICE director, would give sheriff's deputies new federal immigration powers.

This is terrible policy and will undermine community trust,” said Oscar Londoño, co-executive director of WeCount!, which represents thousands of local immigrant workers.