Unidentified presiding official raises concerns about ICE operations, offers whistles to community

At the Jan. 15 Narberth Borough Council meeting an unnamed presiding official said they were troubled by recent immigration-enforcement operations reported elsewhere and urged preparedness. ‘‘I am incredibly distressed that we're we're heading back in that direction,’’ the speaker said, referencing news accounts of enforcement actions in Minneapolis and reports of people pulled from vehicles.

The speaker connected the concern to family history, noting their mother emigrated from Cuba and recounting relatives who were profiled. The presiding official said their father had provided whistles at the holidays ‘‘to call, you know, alert people in the presence of ICE’’ and that they had a few extras for council members and elected officials to take and distribute.

The speaker acknowledged there was no specific evidence that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would conduct local operations in Narberth but cited nearby activity in Norristown and recommended residents be prepared. The remarks were made as an opening statement; the transcript does not record subsequent council action or formal policy direction in response.

The remarks were attributed in the record to the meeting's presiding official; the transcript does not provide that person's name.