Since the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office signed a 287(g) Program agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September 2025 the office has received communications expressing concern about its potential impact on public safety. In the interest of transparency, the District Attorney’s Office is clarifying its relationship with ICE through the 287(g) Program and activities undertaken pursuant to said agreement.

It should be noted that the District Attorney’s Office has always provided assistance to federal law enforcement agencies when it has been requested. Agencies the District Attorney’s Office has previously assisted include the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Secret Service.

Currently, the Lancaster County Detectives, the District Attorney’s Office’s investigative branch, has one experienced and highly trained detective assigned to participate in the 287(g) Program, which delegates specific immigration enforcement functions to local law enforcement agencies under ICE’s direction and oversight. This detective, who was already trained to participate with and assigned to the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, underwent an additional 40 hours of online training for participation in the 287(g) Program.

Activities related to the program have thus far been minimal and do not deviate from the detective’s typical duties.

“No one in our office is conducting immigration ‘sweeps’ or stopping cars as a part of our 287(g) agreement to assist in immigration enforcement,” District Attorney Heather Adams said.

Most recently, the assigned detective was asked to assist with the Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Safety Verification Initiative. This initiative is focused on assessing the safety, welfare and location of unaccompanied immigrant minors. The goal is to ensure that these minors are safe, accounted for, connected to appropriate services for when concerns arise and ultimately to safeguard them from human trafficking, exploitation and abuse.

Pursuant to these goals, the assigned detective has completed safety and wellness checks on a small handful of unaccompanied immigrant minors in Lancaster County. The detective confirmed the minors’ residences, their enrollment in school and that each were being cared for by an adult sponsor. The detective also ensured that the minors showed no signs of human trafficking or abuse.

Each of the checks performed on the unaccompanied immigrant minors present in Lancaster County determined that they, thus far, were being properly cared for and were enrolled in school. Should that not have been the case, the Lancaster County Children & Youth Agency would have been advised of any indicators of abuse as would normally be the case in any investigation. Any indication of a child being trafficked would have immediately been referred to the Lancaster County Human Trafficking Task Force or ICE Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.

Data compiled during these checks was documented and submitted to ICE to account for thousands of unaccompanied immigrant minors with whom the federal government had lost contact. The data is to be reviewed by ICE for case closure and then shared with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement to facilitate the next steps in post-release services and child safety verification. 

The detective assigned to the 287(g) Program is also trained to act as a readily accessible resource to Lancaster County police departments in situations where they require assistance understanding immigration-related policies. As a liaison, the detective assists local police departments by answering their questions, providing them with guidance based on his training and connecting them with appropriate ICE contacts for resources as needed.

On several occasions the District Attorney’s Office has assisted ICE with arresting subjects inside the Lancaster County Courthouse at the conclusion of criminal proceedings unrelated to immigration matters, as has normally been done for many decades. These subjects have already been charged with criminal offenses in Lancaster County and also have final removal orders signed by a judge. Executing these arrests inside the courthouse is not only a more efficient use of manpower but is also safer for the public, law enforcement and the defendant. 

The District Attorney’s Office is aware that certain groups plan to report the presence and location of any potential ICE operations in Lancaster County and, on at least one occasion, have incorrectly identified a local law enforcement operation as ICE. 

“Individuals incorrectly identifying local law enforcement operations as ICE activity, as happened during a Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) deployment in Lancaster city in January, can potentially jeopardize the safety of victims of crimes and endanger the public by escalating these situations if they attempt to interfere,” Adams said. “To be clear, we support the right for everyone to peacefully protest, but anyone who interferes with or obstructs the administration of law or intentionally endangers a law enforcement officer – local or federal – will be held accountable.”

Participation in the 287(g) Program also allows local agencies to be reimbursed for salaries, overtime and equipment used on ICE activities. To date, the District Attorney’s Office has not sought reimbursement but intends to do so in the near future.