Pielli Joint Statement on Prohibiting State Dollars Being Spent on Federal Immigration Enforcement

Dozens of law enforcement agencies across Pennsylvania are currently utilizing state and local resources to enforce federal civil immigration laws. While these departments are free to work with the federal government as they see fit, recent events and studies have shown that these partnerships, known as 287(g) agreements, have been frequently found to be counterproductive to one of the main goals of law enforcement: keeping communities safe. Ample research has demonstrated that 287(g) agreements cause more harm than good to their communities; this has been recognized by the Pennsylvania State Police, who enacted their own policy of limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities in 2019.

We believe that all law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania should focus on their community’s issues first. To that note, we intend to introduce legislation that would specifically restrict law enforcement agencies from using state appropriated funds for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration laws. Additionally, this legislation would enshrine the Pennsylvania State Police’s policy of limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Communities should be able to trust that their law enforcement are there to help them, regardless of the immigration status of residents.

https://www.palegis.us/house/co-sponsorship/memo?memoID=47860