Across the Commonwealth, immigrant families are facing increased ICE enforcement and family separation while dangerous conditions are reported inside detention facilities. The PA Immigration Coalition (PIC), of which LAMPa is a part, has been calling on Governor Shapiro to resist ICE overreach for years.
On July 29, immigrant leaders, families and allies filled the Capitol steps and the Main Rotunda with testimony, music, bubbles and dancing, and a shared commitment to keep fighting for one another and holding on to joy in community. They traveled from across the Commonwealth to remind the governor that all of Pennsylvania’s communities deserve safety, dignity, and the freedom to live without fear. See news coverage here.
Advocates stood together in an effort to make Pennsylvania a safer, more welcoming Commonwealth for ALL of us, and to call on the governor to
- Issue an emergency removal order to shut down the Abraxas Child Detention Center
- End unmandated collaboration with ICE. Examples include giving ICE access to our state databases and PennDOT information beyond what is required by law without a signed judicial warrant.
- Expand protections to immigrant communities. Examples include challenging federal government attempts to use state public benefit records for immigration enforcement and ensuring state databases collect only the information necessary to provide services.
At Abraxas, years of reported abuse concerns and new efforts to detain immigrant children there have made state action even more urgent.
Send a letter calling on the governor to act today.
“It was moving to sing together,” said LAMPa fellow, Daniella Garber. “Despite the heaviness of the cause, the group at the rally was filled with joy. There was dancing, singing, and laughter alongside compassion, anger, and determination. Immigrants make Pennsylvania a better place, and I am proud to stand with LAMPa and PIC in calling on our government to care for our neighbors.”
“This work is important, and it is important that we continue paying attention. At the press conference, we heard from an attorney representing young people detained at Abraxas. He shared accounts of trauma and abuse of children in detention. Governor Shapiro has the authority to take action, and we must continue demanding accountability and protection for vulnerable children and neighbors.”
The rally was powerful, but it was not the end of this work.
Children are still being detained at the Abraxas Child Detention Center. State systems still provide information and support that feeds ICE enforcement. Families across Pennsylvania are still being forced to wonder whether going to work, taking a child to school, or asking for help could put someone they love at risk. As 11-year-old advocate, Ian Pablo, stated at the press conference, “We all deserve to live with dignity and hope.”
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