Clarion County is no longer listed as a “sanctuary county” by the Washington-D.C. based Center for Immigration Studies.
Clarion County Commissioner Wayne Brosius, a member of the county jail board, said the listing was due to a change in jail board policy regarding the handling of illegal aliens. He said the only thing that got the county on the list was a policy at the jail.
Commissioner Ted Tharan said that in 2008, when ICE agents or state police would pull over illegal aliens, they would bring them to the Clarion County jail until documentation was verified.
The story was initially reported on Fox News, and that set off numerous inquiries from county residents about the county’s status.
Commissioner Braxton White asked what the plan would be if the change to the policy did not meet the requirements of the Center for Immigration Studies.
“I don’t want to be a sanctuary county or anything like that but my concern is that this group has no authority over us at all,” White said. “If they set one foot into Clarion they would know we aren’t a sanctuary county. What’s next after this?”
The last sentence in the jail policy now states “Clarion County Corrections will not hold any individual more than 48 hours not including weekends and holidays beyond their scheduled release date based on their Department of Homeland Security form I-247 A.”
County Common Pleas Judge Sara Seidle-Patton said she had no problem with the addition to the policy. She noted there were no other changes to the policy.
Following an executive session, the board voted 5-1 in favor of changing the policy, with White voting no. He said he didn’t feel it was appropriate for the county to change policy based “on an organization in D.C. that has no authority at all.”
White said the board would begin a review of certain jail policies.
In another matter at Thursday’s jail board meeting, the panel promoted veteran corrections officer Sherry Yates to deputy warden.
The motion passed 5-1 with Tharan voting no. He said he wasn’t certain Yates was the best candidate.