A Changing Landscape: Pennsylvania Counties Reevaluate Policies on Immigration Detainers
We are excited to announce the release of A Changing Landscape: Pennsylvania Counties Reevaluate Policies on Immigration Detainers, a report by the Sheller Center for Social Justice on immigration detainer policies across Pennsylvania. According to this report, about half of Pennsylvania counties no longer hold individuals in local jails at the request of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after they are otherwise eligible to be released. Many counties revised their policies in the wake of a 2014 federal court ruling in Galarza v. Szalczyk, which found that so-called “ICE holds” or “ICE detainers” are discretionary and leave local agencies that honor them open to legal liability. Others cited the fact that ICE detainers diverted critical resources away from local law enforcement needs. Counties from all across the state have adopted new policies and practices. The list includes western counties, such as Westmoreland and Clarion, and eastern counties, such as Bucks and Montgomery. This report was released March 2015, and prepared in close collaboration with PICC, and the ACLU of Pennsylvania.