Commissioners answer questions about ICE contract

At the Pike County Commissioners’ meeting on Wednesday, April 1, the board answered questions about a new ICE contract, addressed child abuse in the area and discussed a new development in senior care in the area.

The intergovernmental service agreement between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Pike County, on behalf of the Pike County Correctional Facility, which allows ICE to use the correctional facility to house ICE detainees, has raised questions from community members.

Chairman Matt Osterberg explained the two-year contract provides the county with $178 per day, per detainee. This is a revision of the previous contract, under which the county was paid $128 per day, per detainee.

When asked whether the detainees are being afforded due process, the board explained that the prison itself does not handle detainment procedures; it focuses on holding individuals brought in by other governmental entities. However, they said they would consider filing a complaint, if they have any concerns about their treatment at the facility.

Raising awareness about child abuse

After answering those questions, the board moved on to other matters in the county, including declaring April as Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. After Commissioner Caceres read a statement on the topic, the board heard from a representative of both the Children’s Advocacy Center and the Victims’ Intervention Program.

“Children deserve to grow up in environments filled with love, support and protection, yet there are too many that face harm in the places they should feel the safest,” said Sara Loeb, the Director of Victim Services at the CAC. “Prevention starts with awareness, so the more awareness we can bring to our county, the better off we are.”

Loeb asked the community not just to support CAC, but also to back businesses that support CAC and its cause. She said that the Daily Grind coffee shop in Milford is running a special on blue drinks throughout April, and that the Milford and Dingman branches of the Pike County library are hosting CAC for its Visit with Violet event. However, the easiest way for people to raise more awareness themselves is to wear blue every Friday in April.

Speaking on sexual assault was a representative from VIP, who began by saying that people need to be more accountable with the language they use when speaking about sexual assault in children. Rather than using terms like “non-consexual sex with an underage woman,” people should instead be using terms like “child rape” to avoid sugarcoating the issue and invalidating these victims’ stories.

There will also be Denim Day on Wednesday, April 29. Denim Day is a global day of protest where people wear denim jeans, jackets, pins or anything else in order to show support for survivors of sexual assault and bring attention to Sexual Assault Awareness.

In addition to Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month, the board also recognized April as Fair Housing Month, addressing some of the less fortunate individuals in the community. Many of these issues go hand in hand, with correlations seen between unsafe and unaffordable housing and much of the abuse that has been discussed.

New senior center opens

Lastly, the board heard from Lana Romeo, the activity and program director for the Pike County Area Agency on Aging. She discussed the grand opening of a new senior center in Bushkill that will be combining the existing locations in Saw Creek and Pocono Mountain Lake. She also introduced some of the center’s programs, such as Tai Chi for arthritis and Bingo-cise, a form of bingo that incorporates exercise.

The Bushkill Senior Activity Center is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.