(The Center Square) – During a speech at an annual gathering of progressives on Friday in Philadelphia, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis assured attendees that a pair of proposed ICE detention centers would not be built.
“We’re going to use our power to halt the plans for the proposed ICE warehouse detention centers in Berks and Schuylkill counties from moving forward,” Davis said. “Because our immigrant communities shouldn’t have to live in fear – fear of going to work, seeking medical care, picking up their kids from school.”
His remarks were made at Netroots Nation’s annual conference on Friday afternoon. The multi-day conference is the largest annual conference for progressives, according to the organization, which provides trainings, resources and connection opportunities “to help progressive activists create a more progressive and just world.”
The debate around proposals for new ICE detention centers has emerged in states across the country, including Pennsylvania.
Several elected officials in the Keystone State have been vocal critics of the plan to build those two, while others have said they were waiting for more information before taking a definitive stance.
Gov. Josh Shapiro met with local officials in February and told them that he would “do everything in his legal and regulatory power” to keep the facilities out of the commonwealth.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the Republican candidate for governor, hasn’t clarified her position on ICE detention centers, according to a Spotlight PA report on March 31. She told the outlet that the proposals “warrant serious review” and accused Shapiro’s opposition to them as “posturing.”
“Josh Shapiro is grandstanding again by opposing potential ICE facilities in Berks and Schuylkill counties before the federal government has even filed full plans. The establishment of facilities like those being discussed in Schuylkill and Berks counties warrant serious review,” Garrity wrote on Facebook on Feb. 27. “Rejecting them outright isn’t leadership — it’s political theater. His own administration admits they haven’t received the details from DHS. Pennsylvanians deserve a Governor who puts security and public safety first — not politics.”
The Garrity campaign did not respond to a request for comment from the Center Square on Monday.
The two facilities, located in Tremont Township and Upper Bern Township, were purchased by DHS in February. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s office said the proposal from DHS would convert the facilities into 7,500 and 1,500-bed detention centers, respectively.
An ICE spokesperson told Spotlight PA in February that the agency expected the facilities to create 11,000 jobs and bring in more than $283.4 million in tax revenue, although it is unclear how the agency arrived at that estimate.
Some local officials, in the same report, expressed concern about the impact it will have on public services in their community.
In addition to Davis detailing the Shapiro administration’s opposition to new proposed ICE detention centers, he also highlighted several areas of focus since the duo took office. He touted the administration tripling the childcare tax credit, increasing public education funding by nearly $3 billion, restoring the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, and launching the state’s first comprehensive housing action plan.
As Shapiro and Davis seek a second term in November, he pinpointed raising the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, enshrining protections for LGBTQ Pennsylvanians, and more, if the two win in November and are given Democratic majorities in both chambers.
“Come November, voters here and across this country have the opportunity to send a clear message to Donald Trump by rejecting his chaos and confusion,” Davis said. “We can’t and won’t let this moment pass us by, and you have my promise, I’m going to be on the front lines to build a better Pennsylvania and a better America for all of us.”
Davis repeatedly criticized the Trump administration by name during his speech, which lasted just under 8 minutes. However, he never mentioned Shapiro or Garrity by name during his remarks.
Davis was not the only Pennsylvania lawmaker to participate in the conference over the weekend. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-12th District, plus state Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta and Chris Rabb, were among the Pennsylvania elected officials who delivered speeches at the gathering.
