HARRISBURG, PA — Four Pennsylvania House Democrats are moving to give residents a formal pathway to report alleged civil-liberties violations by federal immigration agents, unveiling legislation that would direct complaints about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity to the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
State Reps. Paul Friel, Greg Scott, Abigail Salisbury and Joe Hohenstein circulated a co-sponsorship memorandum Thursday outlining a proposal to empower the commission to receive and document complaints alleging civil-rights violations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and by state or local law enforcement agencies working in coordination with ICE.
The lawmakers said the measure is aimed at increasing transparency and accountability amid what they describe as a rise in aggressive and unlawful enforcement actions carried out under the banner of immigration control.
“This is a failure of leadership at the highest level,” Friel, a Democrat from Chester County, said in a statement. “These raids are not making our communities safer, nor do they seem designed to accomplish that goal. The tactics employed by ICE officials are proving to be inhumane, ineffective and unconstitutional. We must hold accountable those who violate both their duty to the Constitution and the rights of our community members.”
The memorandum cites incidents in Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities as evidence of what the lawmakers describe as ICE overstepping its authority, creating fear and trauma in affected communities.
“The actions we’ve seen from ICE agents nationwide are traumatizing,” said Scott, a Democrat from Montgomery County. “They’re horrific, and the federal administration’s refusal to acknowledge that is alarming. Residents witnessing civil-liberties violations currently have no clear way to report these incidents safely. This legislation would create a transparent, secure process to hold ICE agents accountable and empower residents to formally call out violations.”
The lawmakers also pointed to data they say undercuts federal claims that immigration enforcement focuses on the most dangerous offenders. According to the memo, only about 5 percent of detainees have violent criminal convictions, while roughly 73 percent have no criminal conviction at all. The memo further alleges that racial profiling has increasingly been used in immigration raids.
Hohenstein, a Philadelphia Democrat with decades of experience in immigration law, said current enforcement practices mark a sharp departure from past approaches. “I have never seen civil immigration laws enforced with such reckless disregard for public safety,” he said. “ICE’s paramilitary tactics must be reined in and made accountable.”
Salisbury, a Democrat from Allegheny County, said the proposal would allow the Human Relations Commission to refer documented complaints to the state Attorney General, adding a layer of oversight to federal enforcement actions. She also said lawmakers are advancing a separate proposal that would ban ICE agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities during operations.
“People living in our commonwealth should be free from unauthorized government actions that threaten their safety and civil liberties,” Salisbury said. “By authorizing the PHRC to receive and document complaints, we can bring greater transparency and accountability to these actions.”
The proposed legislation has not yet been formally introduced, and it remains unclear how it would interact with federal authority over immigration enforcement.
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