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A Mount Joy Borough Council meeting to discuss a controversial partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was postponed Tuesday (February 2) after an unexpectedly large crowd exceeded the venue's capacity.
The council had previously voted 7-2 in favor of entering into a 287(g) agreement with ICE, which would authorize local police to enforce immigration laws. However, Police Chief Robert Goshen has not signed the agreement, stating he wants more public input first.
"The Sunshine Law is pretty clear that we have to accommodate the residents," explained Borough Council President William Hall, referring to the more than 30 residents who couldn't enter the packed meeting room. The situation would have put the council in violation of Pennsylvania's open meeting laws if they had proceeded with the discussion, according to CBS 21.
The postponement sparked immediate concerns from some of the approximately 80 attendees who feared the agreement might be signed before the next public discussion.
"How can we trust anything that anybody's saying up here at all? It's just not transparent," one resident shouted at the board.
Borough Manager Mark Pugliese acknowledged the transparency issues, stating, "We didn't do the best job for the last meeting on transparency, but moving forward, we know we can do better," according to CBS 21.
The agreement is currently on hold as the federal government revises the memorandum of agreement (MOA). Once the revised agreement is received, the council will need to hold another vote.
Chief Goshen has defended the department's existing cooperation with ICE on criminal matters. "In the past 3 months, we've been presented with a warrant for an individual with three charges for attempting to lure a child," Goshen said at Monday's meeting. "We had another individual with 8 counts of battery in the first degree, which in PA, is aggravated assault."
However, he expressed concerns about certain ICE practices, particularly regarding administrative warrants that might violate constitutional protections.
If approved, the partnership would provide financial incentives for the department, including equipment reimbursements and vehicle purchases, according to reports.
The council will meet again at their regularly scheduled meeting on March 2, 2026, though a specific date for the ICE agreement discussion has not yet been announced. Officials promised to secure a larger venue to accommodate public interest in the topic.