Report: Western Pa. ICE arrests cluster where police help
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Local police have become a powerful force in federal immigration enforcement across Western Pennsylvania, per a new report from U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio's office.
Why it matters: The report reveals ICE detentions were concentrated in communities where local police cooperate with federal immigration enforcement under 287(g) agreements, regardless of immigrant population size.
The big picture: The office of Deluzio (D-Aspinwall) analyzed ICE detentions in his 17th Congressional District, covering Beaver County and parts of suburban Allegheny County.
- It used ICE records from Jan. 1 to Aug. 6, 2026, published by the Deportation Data Project.
By the numbers: Of the 209 ICE detentions recorded in PA-17 during the reporting period, 54% were associated with 287(g) agreements, per the report.
- Beaver County accounted for nearly two-thirds of the district's ICE detentions, despite having just a quarter of the population of PA-17's Allegheny County portion.
- The Beaver County Sheriff's Office has a 287(g) agreement, as do several local police departments in the county.
- Beaver County has a foreign-born population of less than 2%, compared with 6.6% in Allegheny County.
Zoom in: The district's Allegheny County portion recorded 75 ICE detentions, 27% tied to 287(g) agreements. Three communities — Coraopolis, Stowe and Springdale — participated in the program during the reporting period. Coraopolis and Stowe have since withdrawn.
- Elsewhere in Allegheny County, Glassport, Pitcairn and Versailles have since joined the program.
The other side: Beaver County Sheriff Tony Guy, a Republican, tells Axios that although his office signed an agreement, it has not yet acted on it. He suggested much of the activity may stem from local police departments.
- Guy said his office runs the Regional Booking Center at the Beaver County Jail in Aliquippa, where deputies process arrests and turn over detainees to ICE upon request. He said that's a longstanding practice that predates the agreement.
- "I haven't trained any deputies in accessing (ICE) databases, and we have not received any money from them, nor have we submitted any information to them to receive money," he said.
ICE did not respond to Axios' request for comment.
Context: Western Pennsylvania has seen an escalation in federal immigration enforcement under President Trump's second administration, including detentions of asylum seekers with work permits and no criminal records.
- High-profile detentions of Oakmont Bakery worker José Flores and Brentwood asylum seeker Maklim Gomez Escalante, along with restaurant raids and increased ICE activity in places like Beechview, have raised questions about the economic and social impact on the region's relatively small immigrant population.
- Roughly 67% of PA-17 detainees and 69% of the 921 detained across 10 southwestern Pennsylvania counties had no convictions or pending charges, per the new report.
What they're saying: The agreements "are increasing ICE detention rates in our communities while redirecting local law enforcement time and resources into federal immigration enforcement that is overwhelmingly targeting people who pose no risk to our communities," Deluzio said.
- He added the report shows gaps in ICE detention data, including why people were detained under 287(g) in areas without active agreements and called for an investigation into officers who may have acted outside their jurisdiction.
"The records … raise really important questions about whether the narrative surrounding immigration enforcement is matching the available evidence," said Jaime Martinez, executive director of Frontline Dignity, which first shared its analysis with Deluzio's office.
What we're watching: Whether Democrats' midterm victories will influence immigration policies, including the local ICE partnerships driving detentions across Western Pennsylvania.