Pleasantville Addresses Immigration, Policing in Forum

By Joseph Dunnigan

In an effort to help foster trust, Pleasantville Police Chief Erik Grutzner and Village Trustee Paul Alvarez held a public discussion over Zoom on Feb. 6 about the local police department’s role in immigration matters. 

The conversation covered a range of issues, including police procedures, interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and how language barriers are addressed in law enforcement.

With recent federal immigration policies under President Donald Trump’s administration as the backdrop, Pleasantville officials held the forum to address community concerns and ensure transparency between law enforcement and residents.

On the morning of Jan. 30, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) notified the Pleasantville Police Department that the agency would be operating in the village to locate a specific person with a criminal warrant. 

“The Pleasantville Police Department was not involved in the serving of this warrant,” the village explained in a statement that day.

The Feb. 6 discussion was moderated by Alvarez who also helped translate the conversation to Spanish. Mayor Peter Scherer was present off-screen. 

Grutzner helped set the tone of the forum early in the conversation with a “Buenas noches,” acknowledging the bilingual audience.

Policing and Immigration Status

A key topic of discussion was whether the Pleasantville Police Department inquires about immigration status during routine interactions. Grutzner clarified that while officers may ask about a person’s country of origin when required for official state forms, such inquiries do not occur during routine traffic stops.

Regarding potential communication between local law enforcement and ICE, Grutzner stated that traffic violations, including speeding tickets, do not trigger ICE notifications. 

In cases where a person is arrested and booked for driving while intoxicated (DWI), the legal process takes its course. Even in such instances, he emphasized that a first-time DWI offense has not, to his knowledge, resulted in immigration consequences for the person involved.

“The most important thing to keep in mind for witnesses, for victims, for people who see something and are on the street and are dealing with it, a person’s immigration status means nothing to us,” Grutzner reassured attendees.

ICE Activity and Local Schools

Alvarez inquired about ICE’s potential presence in schools. The chief directed questions about school policies to the superintendent but affirmed that the police department maintains a strong relationship with local schools to ensure the rights of all residents are protected.

Regarding the recent ICE operation in Pleasantville, Grutzner said that the police department had been informed on the morning of the event. He explained the distinction between civil and criminal warrants, emphasizing that Pleasantville Police do not detain people based on civil warrants. 

“The vast majority of immigration detainers are civil warrants, they’re not criminal,” he said. 

Community Trust and Transparency

As the discussion concluded, both Grutzner and Alvarez reinforced their commitment to maintaining trust between law enforcement and the community. 

“The one takeaway I would say is please trust that you can still come to us with your concerns and reports, free from the fear of your immigration status becoming an issue,” Grutzner said.

Alvarez echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that the goal of the conversation was to demonstrate transparency and establish trust with local law enforcement.

For those who missed the live discussion, a recording is available on the Pleasantville village government website and on YouTube: Watch the full discussion.