Immigrant communities rally at Pennsylvania Capitol for justice and protections
HARRISBURG, Pa. —
Immigrant communities and allies rallied at the Pennsylvania Capitol on Wednesday, urging Governor Josh Shapiro to address their concerns about detention centers, ICE collaboration, and protections for immigrants.
The group outlined three key demands: issuing an emergency removal order to shut down the Abraxas Child Detention Center, ending Pennsylvania’s collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and strengthening protections for immigrant communities.
Organizers point to the power of community action
The rally followed Gov. Shapiro’s announcement that ICE would not move forward with plans to convert warehouse facilities in Upper Bern Township and Tremont into immigrant detention centers.
Organizers said stopping those proposed facilities demonstrated the impact of communities coming together.
“Today we gather people of many faiths and backgrounds to raise our voices for justice. We stand together because we believe that every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and deserves to live with dignity, safety and freedom,” Sister Sharon White of St. Joseph Philadelphia said.
Organizers of the event say those values are what the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania embodies, and that Gov. Shapiro has the obligation to ensure them for everyone who lives here.