Emails between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a participating police department show local police were far more involved in a September 2 ICE operation in Montour County, Pennsylvania, than officials first admitted, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported in a story republished October 19. The operation targeted immigrant workers leaving a construction site on the Geisinger Medical Center campus in Danville.
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star via Tioga Publishing
An ICE employee emailed Mahoning Township Police Chief Frederick Dyroff III the day before the operation with specific information on where and how it would play out, what roles police officers would fill, and who was being targeted, according to emails obtained through a public-records request. An attachment called 'targets.docx' was heavily redacted but appeared to contain information on 13 individuals. Eleven federal agents were to ride along with local police conducting traffic stops, guided by a drone operator who would track workers' vehicles as they left a parking lot near the site; four officers were assigned to transport, two as 'floaters' to assist with Spanish, and two others to conduct record checks off-site.
'Run-of-the-mill policing' — then a retraction
When the Capital-Star first reached Dyroff about a week after the operation, he said vehicles were stopped for traffic violations and anyone wanted by ICE was turned over, and denied his officers had intentionally targeted anyone: 'It was run-of-the-mill policing.' At a September 14 township supervisors meeting attended by about 35 residents, he read a letter saying his department 'is not a federal immigration agency.' Asked later how that letter squared with the emails, Dyroff said: 'Why was my letter not true to what we're talking about now? That's a good question. There was some truth — I guess I can't answer that.' He told the Capital-Star: 'I'm redacting [sic] my [previous] statement. I'm telling you now it was an operation, and they were looking for certain targets, and we assisted in stopping those targets if they were violating the law.'
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star via Tioga Publishing
Five local departments took part — Mahoning Township, Danville Borough, Riverside Borough, Hemlock Township and Montour Township — and all five are in ICE's 287(g) programme, which lets trained local officers carry out some immigration duties under ICE direction. The Daily Item reported Mahoning Township police received $160,000 through the programme and Danville police $167,000. Danville Borough Chief Greg Watson and Riverside Chief Kerry Parkes told the Capital-Star they were asked to assist by Dyroff himself, not by ICE; Parkes said, 'Mahoning, they orchestrated that event,' while Watson said his understanding was that his officers were only doing vehicle stops. Neither the Montour Township nor the Hemlock police chief responded to the Capital-Star's requests for comment.
Source: Pennsylvania Capital-Star / The Daily Item via Workers' Rights News summary
How many were detained is still disputed
ICE said federal officers arrested 10 people in Danville after they were encountered during vehicle stops. Immigration advocates, citing witnesses, claimed as many as 40 people were detained — a figure authorities have not confirmed. The Capital-Star reported it is still unclear how many people were ultimately detained. Danville police incident reports obtained through records requests show multiple people fled from officers, leading to at least one foot chase and a use-of-force report. An ICE spokesperson declined to discuss tactics, saying: 'For operational security and the safety of our officers, DHS will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations, strategy, or tactics.'
Operation: September 2, Danville, Montour County — workers leaving the Geisinger Medical Center construction site. New evidence (published October 19): ICE emailed Chief Dyroff the plan and a 'targets.docx' file listing about 13 people a day earlier; a drone operator tracked vehicles; at least 11 federal agents worked with five local 287(g) departments. Arrest count: ICE says 10; advocates citing witnesses say up to 40 — the total remains unconfirmed. The chief's first account ('run-of-the-mill policing') has been withdrawn by the chief himself.