ICE steps up activity in Beechview, advocacy group says
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Immigration enforcement agents were spotted Wednesday morning in Beechview, one of Pittsburgh's only Latino neighborhoods, according to local immigration advocacy group Casa San José.
Why it matters: ICE is looking to expand its footprint in Pittsburgh as immigration arrests are surging again nationally.
The latest: Agents in unmarked black SUVs patrolled Beechview streets Wednesday from about 8:30-10:30am, says Monica Ruiz, director of the group Casa San José, which is based in the neighborhood.
- Ruiz shared photos and videos with Axios of the vehicles flashing lights, firing sirens, and patrolling Broadway Avenue and other side streets, including driving past Latin grocery store Las Palmas.
Context: Immigration agents were in the neighborhood on Tuesday, and had a tense standoff with the owners of Las Palmas, but made no arrests, according to Public Source.
- Ruiz said agents told people that day in Beechview they would return because "they are hiding illegals."
Zoom in: No arrests were made Wednesday morning, according to Ruiz, who followed the agents around Beechview.
- Last week four men were detained by ICE at Mexican Sazón Lichita restaurant in Beechview, Ruiz says.
- Las Palmas closed Tuesday in response, but opened Wednesday, she says.
The other side: ICE spokesperson Jason Koontz said ICE conducts operations everyday across the country, including Beechview.
- "Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you enter the country illegally or violate your lawful status, you will face consequences. Illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S. We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you."
Zoom out: ICE made nearly 50,000 arrests nationally in July, the highest monthly total of Trump's second term, NPR reported.
What they're saying: "This feels like we are being attacked," Ruiz says. "These are innocent people who are trying to go to work and go shopping."
- She says ICE's tactics are scaring people and hurting business at Las Palmas by shouting and threatening American citizens and residents with legal status.
- She laments the targeting of Beechview, which has been revitalized by Latino businesses.
State of play: ICE made 358 arrests in the Pittsburgh area in January and February, well ahead of pace compared to last year's record setting arrests, per KDKA.
Between the lines: Pittsburgh's congressional Reps. Summer Lee (D-Swissvale) and Chris Deluzio (D-Aspinwall) have questioned ICE's enforcement tactics in Pittsburgh, and criticized the agency for targeting individuals who have work visas and are awaiting asylum cases.
What's next: ICE is proposing the use of mobile detention centers in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other Pennsylvania cities, according to PennLive.
- The agency also wants to create a Pittsburgh-area "hub" site to hold people overnight before transporting them to longer-term facilities.