Emails reveal local police were more involved in Montour County ICE raid than initially admitted

While questions remain over how a Sept. 2 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Montour County unfolded, emails between ICE and a participating police department shed more light on what happened.

Along with further interviews with law enforcement, the emails obtained through public records requests also show police chiefs — particularly Mahoning Township’s Frederick Dyroff III — downplayed the scope of the raid and their role in it.

The records also confirm some of the accounts of witnesses who claim the total number of arrests made in connection with the operation was far higher than federal and local authorities have stated. It’s still unclear how many people were ultimately detained.

The ICE operation last month – assisted by police – led to the arrests of a number of immigrant workers leaving a construction site on the Geisinger Medical Center campus in Danville. 

When news of the operation first broke, statements from ICE, police chiefs and witnesses painted conflicting pictures about the scope of the raid.

Citing witnesses, immigration advocates claimed as many as 40 people were detained as part of the workplace raid. A statement from ICE claimed federal officers ultimately arrested “10 illegal aliens in Danville … after they were encountered by local law enforcement during vehicle stops.”

Police chiefs made contradictory statements about their involvement and whether they had even targeted individuals suspected of immigration-related crimes.

But the newly released records reveal at least 11 federal agents were assigned to the operation and received assistance from police officers from five departments in nearby communities. They used drones to track their targets as they left work at the construction site, and the operation resulted in several foot chases.

The police departments involved were Mahoning Township, Danville Borough, Riverside Borough, Hemlock Township and Montour Township. All are part of what’s known as the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to partner with federal immigration agents, often receiving funding and training as well.

The Daily Item reported that the Mahoning police department received $160,000 through the program and the Danville police department received $167,000.

While five officers from Mahoning were involved, each other department appeared to provide one or two officers.

Neither Montour Township nor Hemlock police chiefs responded to requests for comment from the Capital-Star.

‘Redacting my statement’

When the Capital-Star first reached Dyroff roughly a week after the raid, he confirmed that his department and police officers from neighboring Danville Borough assisted federal agents, but provided conflicting statements on the scope of their involvement.

“ICE was in the area at the time we were conducting traffic stops,” he said. “Vehicles were stopped for traffic violations, and if those persons were wanted by ICE, they were turned over to ICE.”

Asked whether his officers intentionally targeted anyone because of questions about their immigration status, Dyroff said “No … It was run-of-the-mill policing.”

Asked in a later interview how his officers knew where to stage to provide the most assistance, Dyroff said it was “no secret we know where there’s a concentration of people who are here illegally … It does not take a rocket scientist to find out where they’re working at.”

But emails between ICE and Dyroff obtained through a public records request show an organized and targeted operation. 

An ICE employee emailed Dyroff the day before the operation with specific information on where and how the raid would play out, what police officers’ roles would be, and who was being targeted.

An attachment to the email called “targets.docx” was given to the Capital-Star, but was heavily redacted. It appeared to contain information on 13 individuals.

The email, from someone with a redacted email address, also included detailed instructions about what role federal agents would be playing and how they were planning to track people as they left the construction site.

Eleven officers, the sender wrote, were to ride along with police, who would conduct traffic stops.

They would be guided by a “drone operator” who would track and call out the movement of construction workers’ vehicles as they left a parking lot near the site. 

Four officers were assigned to “transport,” two in a “white express van,” and two others each in “separate caged vehicle[s],” to take custody after traffic stops.

“The idea is that this will take place as quick as we can safely do it,” read the email. “We are going to make sure the van is loaded with restraints and extra handcuffs. When you take custody of one, you will provide the arresting officer with a pair of handcuffs (one for one exchange). Restraints will be applied when safe to do so.”

Two officers were assigned as “floaters in separate vehicles to assist with Spanish and any other issues that may arise.”

Two others, including a supervisor, were assigned to conduct record checks off-site.

Because of redactions, it’s unclear if there was overlap between the roles.

Asked how the information squared with his previous claims that his officers were not targeting individuals at ICE’s bequest, Dyroff hedged.

“I’m redacting [sic] my [previous] statement,” he told the Capital-Star last week. “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.”

Danville Borough Chief Greg Watson and Riverside Police Chief Kerry Parkes also told the Capital-Star that they were asked to assist in the operation by Dyroff himself, and not ICE.

“Mahoning, they orchestrated that event,” said Parkes, though he noted it is common for officers from Riverside, Mahoning and surrounding municipalities to assist one another.

Watson also said he was not provided the kind of detailed information about the raid ahead of time that Dyroff was.

“I wasn’t involved in any of that planning, but my understanding is that my officers were only doing vehicle stops,” he said. 

Copies of incident reports received through records requests from the Danville Borough Police Department show multiple people fled from officers, leading to at least one foot chase that resulted in a use of force report.

“Three males took off,” the officer wrote about the aftermath of a traffic stop in his use of force report. “I chased after a male and escorted him to the ground. The male got away and I could not locate him. A reasonable amount of force was used in attempt to get him into custody.”

The report is hand-written and the word “escorted” appears to be written in different color ink than the rest of the form.

The officer checked boxes noting the suspect was not injured before or during the interaction.

After news of the operation emerged, it wasn’t just media inquiries Dyroff was addressing. In the weeks after the raid, Mahoning Township supervisors faced pushback over police involvement in an ICE operation so close to a major hospital. As conflicting stories emerged from police, witnesses, and immigrants’ rights advocates, some community members sought answers.

On Sept. 14, Dyroff addressed a township supervisors meeting attended by roughly 35 people who were primarily there to oppose the operation and to hear from the chief exactly what happened.

Mahoning Township Supervisor John Whelan estimated the audience was 10 times larger than the “typical three to five.”

“We recognize that the September 2 operation has generated questions and concerns within our community, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide clarification regarding the role and actions of the Mahoning Township Police Department,” Dyroff wrote in a letter that was read at the meeting.

But little clarity was provided

“It is important to make clear that MTPD is not a federal immigration agency, nor are our officers attempting to assume that role,” Dyroff’s letter read. “…Our department’s role was to support effective law-enforcement coordination while continuing to serve the residents and visitors of our community.”

Asked why the letter he read seemed to characterize his department in more of a supervisory role when it appears to have participated more actively, Dyroff said he couldn’t say.

“Why was my letter not true to what we’re talking about now? That’s a good question,” Dyroff said. “There was some truth — I guess I can’t answer that. I don’t know how to answer that.”

Emails confirm witness reports of surveillance drones

In the weeks after the raid, witnesses told advocates and the Capital-Star they believed drones were used to surveil workers as they were leaving the hospital. 

A construction worker who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from ICE and his employer told the Capital-Star that he and his co-workers spotted a drone circling above them as they prepared to get in their vehicles to leave work on Sept. 2.

“We noticed that there were some electrician guys working, and we thought it was them maybe, but it just looked very suspicious that it immediately came and hovered over us,” he said.

At the time, ICE refused to answer questions about the claim when asked by the Capital-Star.

“We would never divulge investigative practices or procedures,” an ICE spokesperson told the Capital-Star.

Dyroff similarly said he would not answer questions about how information was gathered.

After the Capital-Star received emails showing ICE deployed a drone operator to monitor construction workers as they left work, Dyroff stressed that ICE was the agency choosing and monitoring targets, and not his officers.

“It was an operation that was with ICE,” Dyroff said. “They were looking for certain targets, and we assisted in apprehending those targets. I’ll just leave it at that.”

ICE also reiterated that they would not discuss tactics when asked whether the use of drones was typical.

“For operational security and the safety of our officers, DHS will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations, strategy, or tactics,” a spokesperson for the agency said.