More agencies are helping ICE in Pennsylvania
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More law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania are assisting federal efforts to arrest and remove undocumented immigrants this month, according to an Axios analysis.
The big picture: The removal of unauthorized immigrants has accelerated in Pennsylvania since the start of the year, per the latest data from the nonpartisan Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).
- This comes as President Trump ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the weekend to "expand efforts to detain and deport" undocumented immigrants in Democratic-run cities.
By the numbers: Nearly 860 removal orders were issued to Pennsylvanians in April, about 28% of which were for Philadelphians, the TRAC data shows.
- The number of Pennsylvania removal orders has been steadily ticking up each month from 567 in January.
- In April 2024, Pennsylvanians received about 440 removal orders.
Zoom out: Roughly 46,800 removal orders were issued nationwide in April, per TRAC.
- And now, Trump's team is demanding that agents arrest 3,000 undocumented immigrants a day — an unprecedented pace ICE is still trying to reach.
- Immigration advocates have warned that these wide sweeps could lead to citizens and legal immigrants being wrongfully detained or deported.
State of play: Roughly 700 local law enforcement agencies are cooperating with ICE through deals known as 287(g) agreements, per federal data as of Monday.
- The agreements allow such agencies to carry out immigration enforcement and supplement federal officers, who have limited resources, according to Trump border czar Tom Homan.
- Virginia, Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina have been most cooperative with immigration enforcement.
Zoom in: As of Monday, ICE had 14 deals in place with local law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania, which include the Bucks County Sheriff's Office and the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office. That's three more than last week.
- Another three agreements with agencies in the state are pending.
Between the lines: In Philly, local police don't enforce immigration law but can cooperate with federal enforcement if an individual is being released for certain violent crimes and a detainer request is backed up by a warrant.
- Both Montgomery and Delaware counties recently said they would stop accepting ICE detainer requests that weren't backed up with a judicial warrant, per the Inquirer.
What we're watching: Trump appeared to be carving out exceptions for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and working at hotels, farms, meatpacking plants and restaurants.
- But ICE officials were told Monday that agents should resume raids on hotels, restaurants, and agricultural businesses, The Washington Post reported.
Editor's note: This story was updated to add new information about guidance to ICE officials on Monday.