A masked ICE agent knocks on the window and tells Elle Neubauer and the second observer she was riding with to stop following ICE vehicles during the morning watch, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
About two dozen immigration enforcement proposals are making their way through the state legislature in response to the Trump administration’s crackdown and tactics — including increased reliance on county jails and local police departments.
Lawmakers admit that introducing reforms in an arena governed at the federal level and with each chamber of parliament controlled by a different party is a distant prospect. Even Democratic House committee chairmen are not saying whether they will bring these bills – almost exclusively sponsored by Democrats – to a vote.
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Work on some of the legislation in Pennsylvania, as in other states, began this winter amid a surge in cases in Minnesota that culminated in the killing of two people by federal agents. But others go back a year or more, before President Donald Trump began his second term and immigration enforcement in the commonwealth began to ramp up.
In Pennsylvania, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers made 3.5 times as many arrests (topping 4,800) in the first three quarters of last year compared to the same period in 2024 in Pennsylvania, according to a Capital-Star analysis of the numbers. deportation data project AND Immigration Enforcement Panel.
The analysis shows that each state’s growth rate and number of arrests rank among the top 10 states.
Additionally, the percentage of people detained without a criminal record has risen to almost 40 percent – up from less than 20 percent in 2024.
“Outside the Borders”
This data does not quantify due process violations. However, some organizations, including the ACLU of Pennsylvania, are warning against such an event simply because of false information; others say yes occurring. And recent The Department of Homeland Security memo sketched a potential legal justification for supporting federal agents entering homes without an arrest warrant.
State Rep. Chris Pielli, who says he has heard of dozens of arrests in his Chester County district, is working on related measures, including one to prohibit illegal searches and seizures by immigration officers.
Pielli served in the U.S. Army and worked as both a county jail guard and a public defender before winning his commission.
“I think the most American thing is to always question authority and push back when you see something going out of bounds,” said Pielli, a Democrat. “And that is clearly out of bounds.”
Piella’s bill is modeled after several states with court-tested laws – including California with statute adopted almost 40 years ago. He is on the House Judiciary Committee, with HB1880 restrictions on wearing masks and HB1281 to aid crime victims secure legal status.
Chairman Tim Briggs, a Democrat, has not said whether or when he plans to bring any of the proposals up for discussion.
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One measure has already been removed from committee. Legislation by Ismail Smith-Wade-El MP the creation of the New Pennsylvania Office approved the Board of Education in October on a party-line vote. Smith-Wade-El, a Democrat at the Lancaster Refugee Resettlement Center, advocated for the same last session — not least in response to the “brutal, unconstitutional actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security,” he said.
For example, the office would provide streamlined pathways to obtain professional licenses and certifications recognized in the United States that are equivalent to those they could already obtain in their home countries.
On the Senate side, Senator Katie Muth (D-Berks/Chester/Montgomery) stated that the policy in several public schools in her district she was a role model for her bill to track and limit immigration enforcement agents’ access to school property and student records.
““It’s just one basic measure that … shouldn’t be controversial,” Muth said, noting that one goal is to avoid discouraging children from attending families that are up-to-date to the United States.
She also described feeling “powerless” when connecting with constituents who need aid navigating ICE encounters on their own or supporting students and neighbors who need it. The lawmaker noted that she and her colleagues feel compelled to act on what is largely within the purview of federal lawmakers.
What’s next?
Muth works with the Education Committee, chaired by Republican Lynda Culver, who represents parts of Montour, Snyder, Columbia and Northumberland counties and part of Luzerna.
“Like all bills referred to committee, they are currently being considered for consideration,” spokesman Culver said by email this week.
Presented by Senator Nikil Saval (Philadelphia). bill on Wednesday it would task the attorney general with developing guidelines limiting immigration authorities’ interaction with public schools, courts, shelters, government health care facilities and other services. It would also limit local law enforcement’s immigration enforcement efforts by requiring biennial reporting for those who contract with ICE, prohibiting the sharing of certain information, redirecting communications about violent criminals violating immigration rules through the FBI, and more.
The goal is to “ensure effective policing” that prioritizes the “safety, well-being and constitutional rights” of Pennsylvanians and “matters of greatest concern” for the communities served by local law enforcement.
Saval, whose parents immigrated to the USA from Indiaalso sponsors SB1071 with Amanda Cappelletti (D-Delaware). This would create masking restrictions for everyone law enforcement, and the establishment of ID and other identification requirements, as well as criminal penalties for violations.
They joined some of the demonstrations that have been taking place every week for months at the ICE field office in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, part of the Saval neighborhood, along with supporters and advocates other Democrats – including Senator Art Haywood (Philadelphia/Montgomery).
Haywood introduced SB1117 – similar to the New Jersey Legislature’s proposal and modeled after California law – an attempt to strengthen state and/or local control over local law enforcement agencies against “command” by the federal government.
Northeastern Pa. Republican Sen. Lisa Baker chairs the Judiciary Committee, where two bills are parked. Her office did not respond to emails from the Capital-Star asking about the timing of discussion of the law enforcement ID bill filed by Saval and Cappelletti and SB1021 from Senator Chris Gebhard (Lebanon/Berks/Lancaster) on increasing penalties for crimes against immigration enforcement officers.
“ICE officers operate in increasingly difficult and dangerous conditions and deserve all reasonable protection so they can legally and safely perform their duties,” Gebhard’s spokesman wrote in an email, citing an eight-fold enhance reported by DHS in the number of reported attacks on ICE personnel nationwide.
Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie) also did not indicate during the hearing whether he would bring Haywood’s proposal to the Law and Justice Committee for a vote.
Capital-Star asked Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office whether he would support or sign these bills in their current form.
“The governor appreciates the efforts of state lawmakers to hold the Trump administration accountable and stand up to federal excessive demands,” Shapiro spokesman Alex Peterson wrote in an email. “While we will continue to monitor these proposals through the legislative process, Governor Shapiro has made clear that Pennsylvania’s federal delegation is best positioned to take immediate action and hold the federal government accountable.”
More sponsorship notes have dropped in recent days.
Senator Sharif Street, a Democrat from Philadelphia seeking his party’s nomination for the 3rd Congressional District, sent out a memo on Tuesday seeking support for a measure banning taxpayer-funded ICE activities, particularly flagging local law enforcement. According to sponsor Pielli, a similar proposal from the House is in the final stages before implementation.
