MEDIA, PA – January 26, 2026 – On Saturday, another American was killed during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis, intensifying concerns about the agency’s increasingly aggressive tactics and fear and chaos they are creating in communities across the country.
In the wake Alex Pretti’s death and the increasingly aggressive and unconstitutional tactics implored by ICE, Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware) released the following statement:
“What ICE is doing in Minnesota, in our communities here in PA, and across the country is shocking and un-American. For goodness’s sake, Americans must believe their own eyes and stand up to protect our liberty before it is broken beyond repair. No one is safe as long as we allow ICE’s conduct to continue.
“Another American citizen, Alex J. Pretti – an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Hospital – was senselessly murdered by a team of ICE agents this weekend. States need to defend the rule of law when the federal government continually disregards constitutional rights of the people, or the USA we know and love will fall deeper into chaos. As a state senator and member of the PA Welcoming Caucus, I’ve worked with my colleagues to put forward a number of bills to address ICE’s conduct and protect our neighbors.
“SB 1071: No Secret Police: Unmask ICE –This bill would require ICE and other law enforcement agencies to wear identification while on duty and prohibit masking.
“SB 1125: Welcoming Schools – Ensuring PA Schools are Safe Places for All Students – This bill will require school districts to implement procedures for responding to immigration enforcement at schools.
“Keep ICE Off Pennsylvania’s Property – This legislation will prohibit ICE arrests on within 1,000 feet of courthouses and Commonwealth owned or leased facilities unless supported by a judicial warrant.
“Limiting Local Entanglements with ICE – This bill will prohibit local law enforcement resources from being used for civil immigration enforcement.
“Prohibiting Unlawful ICE Arrests and Detainments – This bill will criminalize indiscriminate tactics of arrest and detainment by law enforcement acting within this Commonwealth, such as the unlawful and violent tactics ICE is using in Minnesota, Chicago, and across the country.
“Remedies for Federal Abuses of Power – This bill will allow Pennsylvanians to sue federal agencies in state court for violating their constitutional rights.
“Pennsylvania should pass these bills, but we need to be realistic that in a divided legislature, that is not going to happen. Americans need to organize in their communities to protect their neighbors and stand up for their rights – and yes, they need to continue to call their federal representatives, and work to elect people at all levels of government who represent their values.”
For more information about this press release, contact Senator Tim Kearney’s office at 610-544-6120.
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