Migrant rights activist groups on Thursday called on Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro to strengthen state regulations that prevent local police from collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The request was made public just hours after ICE detained 26 Latin American migrants in Pennsylvania while they were on their way to their jobs.
The Rev. Kate Heinzel, of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, an organization that is part of the activist network, denounced the situation: “We want everyone to know that people are disappearing. The state making people disappear is a problem we are not talking about. Unnecessary fear is a problem and prevents the community from living a full and productive life.”
The detained migrants, who were working on the construction of a hospital, are mostly from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. They are currently being held in three detention centers located in different Pennsylvania counties, according to a press conference held by the groups that support them.
Reverend Erin Jones, a representative of Centre County Rapid Response Network, called the arrests an act of “terrorism,” and noted that, according to witnesses, ICE agents acted with the support of a state trooper.
So far, neither family members nor activists have been able to contact the detained migrants.
Migrant activists petition for Pennsylvania government
John, a foreman who was released after identifying himself as a U.S. citizen, also spoke at the press conference. He was traveling in one of the intercepted vehicles and recounted how an unmarked van with flashing lights forced them to stop, while another one pulled in front of his car.
According to John, an ICE agent approached his window and asked for his identification. Then, “they started pulling people out one by one,” confiscating their phones and asking them where they were from and if they had work permits.
An hour later, a second group of migrants also working in construction was detained under similar circumstances.
An attorney passing through the area observed several unmarked vans and six ICE agents, so he stopped to document what happened. He later contacted Centre County Rapid Response Network to report the detention of the workers.
Heinzel warned about the atmosphere of fear that has been generated, “Fear spreads like a virus, keeping people locked in their homes. Schools will open next week. How many children will go to school every day focusing less on their schoolwork than on whether their parents will be waiting for them at the end of the day?”
Following the arrests, the local community has begun patrolling the area and has launched orientation actions for migrant residents, so that they know how to react if they are confronted with the presence of immigration agents.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
