Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, along with other officials, spoke at a press conference in the PA state Capitol building.

Federal immigration policies are hitting especially close to home, as several Harrisburg-area refugees are being detained and held.

Local county and state officials spoke at a press conference Tuesday to oppose the detainment of five Dauphin County residents, refugees from Bhutan, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

According to officials, five men, who have legal permanent status and came to the country through the refugee resettlement program, were recently detained by ICE and sent to immigration detention centers, including some out of state.

“It’s amazing how quickly this community has put away their past trauma, started a new life and has contributed in many ways to our region,” said state Sen. Patty Kim. “We are lucky to have them. All this to say, it is an affront when we learned that folks with legal status were picked up by ICE and federal officials think that they can just send them back to Bhutan.”

The residents, all of whom live in the greater Harrisburg area, came to the U.S. after being forcefully evicted from their home country. Officials said that when the federal government attempted to deport them, Bhutan would not accept them. Currently, officials believe that they are being detained and have no information about what will happen next, including if they will be deported, and where to.

“Five individuals who have their family, who have their children, wives, parents here, have just been picked up without reason,” said Tilak Niroula, board chair of the Bhutanese Community Group in Harrisburg. “These are permanent residents. We were forcefully evicted from Bhutan; we do not have a country. Deportation is not an option for the Bhutanese American.”

Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas, who organized the press conference at the state Capitol building, said that he has contacted the governor’s office and state representatives to advocate for the residents.

“This is not just a policy issue. It’s a human issue and today is about standing together in solidarity and making our collective voices heard,” Douglas said.

Niroula said that he heard from families in the community about the ICE raids, many sharing that they were not given a reason for detainment.

According to county officials, as far as they can tell, they didn’t believe that any of the detained residents had felony charges, although some may have had minor past criminal charges.

However, whatever the case may be, officials said that the residents deserve a fair process.

“If there are legal concerns, we have a court system; we have something called due process,” Douglas said. “But what we’re seeing isn’t about justice, it’s about fear. It’s about sending a message to a community that’s already vulnerable. Is this really about public safety, or is this simply a scare tactic, I would ask.”

Douglas said that in central PA, there are around 50,000 Bhutanese residents. He believes that the five detainees in the county, were the first to be arrested in the commonwealth. Additionally, he knows of one Cumberland County resident who was detained, as well.

While the county and state don’t wield the power that the federal government has when it comes to immigration matters, Douglas said that there are ways that the county could limit cooperation with ICE, if needed.

“We don’t have any obligation to collaborate with them,” he said.

Tika Dhungana of Harrisburg is a friend of several of the affected families and attended the press conference to speak out against the federal government’s actions.

“We are very afraid,” he said. “If these people are deported somewhere, they may not see their children; they may not see their parents; and they may not speak the language if they are deported somewhere else.”

Dhungana said that some of the families have been in the United States for over a decade.

“This is completely unacceptable,” said state Rep. Justin Fleming (D-105). “This policy seems reckless. This policy is absolutely destructive to families.”

Officials encouraged concerned community members to advocate for immigrants by contacting federal officials and local representatives.

“I’m calling on them [officials] to stand with these five men and honor the promise that we made as America to them and bring them back home to Dauphin County to be reunited with their families,” Douglas said.

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