PA DEMS RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN WEAPONIZATION OF ICE

WHEREAS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was created in 2003 as part of the post-9/11 Department of Homeland Security and has since operated with sweeping police powers, minimal oversight, and a documented pattern of abuse against immigrant and non-immigrant communities alike; and WHEREAS, training for ICE agents has been reduced from 5 months to 47 days, an arbitrary number that was selected for the 47th President, thereby creating unorganized, ill-equipped enforcement agents; and

WHEREAS, ICE agents and Customs & Border Protection (CBP) have repeatedly detained, arrested, and surveilled U.S. citizens as well as undocumented immigrants, including through racial profiling, mistaken identity, and coercive enforcement tactics that amount to kidnappings under the color of law; and

WHEREAS, in the year 2026 alone, ICE has killed at least eight individuals who have died while in custody or while being detained; and

WHEREAS, ICE detention centers, many run by for-profit private prison corporations, have been widely documented for unsafe conditions, medical neglect, abuse, and denial of legal access, and communication with family and friends, resulting in preventable deaths, severe harm and mental and emotional distress; and

WHEREAS, the right to due process before immigration judges is being ignored by the Trump administration, allowing for the deportation of those who had been asylum seekers, separating families and detaining those who had been compliant with court hearings; and

WHEREAS, 287 (g) agreements are meant to allow for productive partnerships for public safety by authorizing local law enforcement to partner with federal agencies, they are being abused by ICE to sow chaos and detain U.S. citizens; and

WHEREAS, the actions of ICE and CBP have eroded public trust in these agencies and have made it harder for local law enforcement to do their duties and as a result leaving all communities less safe; and

WHEREAS, the irresponsible engagement by ICE with protesters enacting their First Amendment rights lead to the killing of two people in Minnesota; and

WHEREAS, thousands of Pennsylvanians have already taken to the streets in protest to fight back against the Trump weaponization of ICE; and

WHEREAS, the Trump administration has increased ICE funding while cutting funding for health care and SNAP benefits hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians rely on; and

WHEREAS, increases in ICE funding have come at the detriment of funding other law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Justice, taking money away from efforts aimed at preventing dangerous crimes; and

WHEREAS, ICE has become an agency that is completely adrift from its original intention, to protect our border and communities, and instead has become a vehicle of chaos; and

WHEREAS, the majority of the American people oppose the inhumane, violent arrests and lack of due process that have become hallmarks of ICE; and

THEREFORE, be it RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party calls on the Trump administration to end the chaos and address the rampant threat to rule of law that ICE has come to represent; andBE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party stands in opposition to any federal overreach, and specifically the out of control actions of federal agencies that do nothing to keep our communities safe, but actively endanger people who are contributing members of Pennsylvania society. While recognizing the need for border security, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party stands in opposition to federal chaos that endangers Pennsylvania citizens; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party calls for the end of federal abuse of 287(g) Program under the Trump administration; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party urges U.S. Senators to oppose funding for ICE, including through the Department of Homeland Security appropriations, until significant reforms are made to address the threats to safety the organization poses to the people of Pennsylvania; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is committed to flipping as many congressional seats as possible, and delivering a check on Trump’s overreach in Congress; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is committed to flipping the state Senate and ensuring a Democratic trifecta to stand up to attacks on Pennsylvanians’ freedoms from Washington chaos; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party calls on the Trump administration to fire Kristi Noem who has lost control and has been an unmitigated disaster.

Respectfully Submitted by:

Sheri Morgan, Chair Progressive Caucus, Franklin County