Protesters outside of the Butler County sheriff’s office urging the town to end its agreement with ICE, Photo via Dayton Daily News
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Living day-in and day-out in New York City, I consider the Big Apple my surrogate hometown. I’ve become so enamored in its sprawling boroughs and spirit of eccentricity, inclusivity and diversity that it’s easy to forget about my homogenized hometown: Butler, Pennsylvania.
The rows of corn in the fields still run through my veins, and during a time of nationwide ICE protests with people and students from all nooks and crannies of the country pouring out to fight against this congressional abomination, my mind keeps wandering to what is happening amongst the winding roads and sprawling farmlands that I’m ever so familiar with.
I wanted to check the pulse of my local politics after being in my liberal bubble here, so like any independent, driven and self-sufficient college student, I asked my mom who I should talk to.
After some maternal advising, I had a phone interview with Catherine Lalonde, the chair of the Butler Democratic Committee, and inquired all about the sentiments of my hometown inhabitants surrounding the ICE atrocities that have stirred such passionate demonstrations from others across the United States.
At recent Butler county commissioner meetings, some citizens have vocalized their condemnation of ICE’s presence in Butler. Naturally, being a town that is majority republican and notorious for being the host of President Donald Trump’s near-assassination encounter, retaliation was quick to follow.
“A lot of republicans that approve of ICE being there were there to speak up,” said Lalonde referring to a recent county meeting. “A lot of people are good with it.”
Ever since the local publication The Butler Eagle covered a piece on these meetings, there have only been more participants wanting to voice their support for ICE.
To the ears of someone living in an area that recently elected its first Muslim and outspokenly Democratic-Socialist mayor, the notion of people publicly endorsing the actions of ICE seems like grounds for immediate ostracization. But, if you take one deep breath—especially after manure day—and look around in Butler, the response starts to make sense.
While Democrats remain in the minority of the townsfolk, they still exist and are doing whatever they can to make sure the county remembers their small but mighty presence.
Groups like the Butler Democratic Committee have organized small demonstrations of their own, garnering turnouts in the hundreds.
“The one I was just at had like 1,200 people,” said Lalone. “Others have been pretty large, a few hundred along the main road in Butler.”
The crowds may not be reminiscent of say, Minneapolis, but as a born and raised Butler babe, I was pleasantly surprised by those figures during the interview.
The committee utilizes the Mobilize app to plan its events and serve as a platform for people to sign up to get involved. Considering the abundance of Trump merch stores, the response to these gatherings has stayed primarily encouraging and non-confrontational.
“It seems positive, a lot of thumbs-up,” told a proud Lalonde.
That’s not to say that there aren’t still disgruntled residents who won’t hesitate to hurl profanities or deface signs. To prevent any serious disrupters, the details of the protests are posted only briefly before the events themselves.
Lalonde did retell an entertaining story of a truck driver who circled one anti-ICE group blowing black smoke out of their muffler (my nostalgia was overwhelming at this point), but justice was served with the gentleman receiving a fine for his pickup protesting.
Unfortunately, law enforcement in the municipality is by no means standing its ground against DHS.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer listens during a briefing, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, MD, Photo via AP Photo/Alex Brandon
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Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe has fully endorsed an agreement between the county and anti-immigration forces, much to the chagrin of the Democratic Committee. Ironically, Sheriff Slupe himself doesn’t seem too confident in his affiliation with the government agency.
“[Slupe] tries to say that money isn’t directed to the ICE operation, but they’re helping with ICE,” pointed out Lalonde.
The sheriff issued around 1,200 outstanding warrants and continues to hire new people to aid with immigrant-related teams.
“The time they take to help ICE is time the Butler county people are paying for,” said Lalonde.
Considering that the diversity at my own high school was nothing to justify setting off immigrant alarms, I was more perplexed at the necessity of federal manpower than I was shocked at my town’s cooperation. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures when you have to fulfill an unrealistic quota of arrests.
“They profile; if you’re darker skin and you speak Spanish, you’re gonna be a target,” explained Lalonde. “Mostly they’ve targeted Mexican restaurants, but some were arrested at construction sites.”
These days, racial profiling seems to be the second most popular profile type right after social media. When you live in a town in which over 90% of the residents identify as white, any deviation from apparent whiteness increases your chances of being a victim of profiling.
Even though Lalonde admits to not falling under the demographic of ICE targets, she still feels the threat of Trump’s prowling glare. For her—being in opposition to the president—anyone can consider themselves in the crosshairs of the government. But, that’s no excuse to cower away when the times demand action.
Whether you live in a constantly buzzing metropolis or a remote rural community, there is always a need to stay engaged in current events.
Lalonde encourages everyone to seek any committee or group to get involved and keep their foot in the door of democracy.
“People focus on the president, but what goes on in your local municipality is really important,” advises Lalonde.
“All through history, it takes people to stand up to what they feel is not right.”
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This article was edited by Abigail D’Angelo.
Catherine Topps 
Sarah Olivia Sullivan 
Sahir Sadat