Pennsylvania Democrats Unveil 'ICE Out' Package After Senate Approves Potential $70B DHS Boost

Days after the U.S. Senate approved legislation that could direct an additional $70 billion to the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement, a group of Pennsylvania Democratic state senators announced a legislative package on June 9 aimed at limiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity within the commonwealth.

What Lawmakers Announced

Democratic legislators joined immigrant-rights leaders, labor allies and community members at the state Capitol in Harrisburg to unveil proposals intended to curb ICE access to sensitive sites, bar formal partnerships between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents, and strengthen protections at polling locations.

Key Proposals

• Restrict ICE access to sensitive locations, including schools, hospitals and polling places.
• Prohibit local law enforcement from entering into formal partnerships with ICE or sharing county databases and equipment for immigration enforcement.
• Require federal agents to identify themselves publicly and present judicial warrants to access non-public city or county property.
• Guarantee civil remedies through the state justice system when residents’ rights are violated.
• Introduce a bill by Sen. Lindsey Williams to prohibit on-duty law enforcement from being within 100 feet of polling locations.

"Eligible Pennsylvanians must be allowed to vote without fear or interference, and that includes intimidation from law enforcement," Sen. Lindsey Williams said. "It is essential to our democracy... to protect that right to vote and protect our neighbors."

Context And Recent Unrest

Organizers framed the initiative as a response not only to the Senate vote—which still requires House approval to become law—but also to nationwide protests and unrest tied to immigration enforcement. Demonstrations followed the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents, and hunger strikes, labor actions and protests have occurred at detention facilities such as Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey.

Local Measures Already In Place

Several municipalities in the region have already passed ordinances limiting ICE activity:

• On May 12, Pittsburgh City Council approved an ordinance preventing ICE officers from using certain city-owned property as staging areas, meeting places or equipment storage. The ordinance also requires a judicial warrant for ICE to access non-public areas of city property.
• About a month earlier, Pittsburgh codified a policy prohibiting city collaboration with ICE.
• In March, Allegheny County passed legislation barring county employees from cooperating with ICE, preventing ICE and Border Patrol from housing detainees in the county jail, and blocking officers from accessing county databases and equipment for federal immigration operations.

Who's Leading The Effort

Several state senators are driving the initiative: Amanda Cappelletti (D-Delaware and Montgomery counties), Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), Art Haywood (D-Montgomery and Philadelphia counties), Tim Kearney (D-Delaware County), Katie Muth (D-Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties), Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) and Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny County).

What Comes Next

The proposed state measures will need to move through the Pennsylvania legislature for consideration. If enacted, they would create state and local barriers to federal immigration enforcement operations within Pennsylvania, even as federal lawmakers consider additional funding for DHS enforcement activities.

Reporter: Finch Walker, Pittsburgh Connect Reporter, USA TODAY Network. Contact: [email protected]. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.

Originally appeared on USA TODAY

Savannah Gritter, 12, holds signs during the "ICE Out Everywhere" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 31, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.(GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST)

A federal agent goes to clear a makeshift shield a protester placed over a gas canister during an anti-ICE protest at the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.(Ben Lonergan, The Register-Guard via USA TODAY Network)

Hundreds of people gather to protest ICE at the corner of Palafox and Garden Streets in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on Jan. 30, 2026.(Gregg Pachkowski, Pensacola News Journal via USA TODAY Network)

In an aerial view, demonstrators spell out an SOS signal of distress on a frozen Lake BdeMaka Ska on Jan. 30, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters marched through downtown to protest the deaths of Renee Good on January 7, and Alex Pretti on January 24 by federal immigration agents.(John Moore, Getty Images)

Protesters chant as they march down University Avenue during a Party for Socialism & Liberation–sponsored anti‑ICE demonstration in downtown Gainesville, Fla., on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The march began at Southwest 13th Street and University Avenue and ended at Bo Diddley Plaza, where participants protested ICE and recent killings in Minnesota.(Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun)

A protestor is shoved by a federal agent after getting face-to-face with the agent, who stood among a line of agents blocking off the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)

People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the "ICE Out Everywhere" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 31, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.(GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST)

Demonstrators march down Walnut Street as Cincinnati Police officers clear traffic during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026.(Sam Greene, The Enquirer via USA TODAY Network)

Protestors clash with police during a "National Shutdown" protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)

Penn High School students participate in a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.(MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE)

People hold signs along PGA Blvd., and Military Trail during the "ICE Out Everywhere" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on January 31, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.(GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST)

Federal agents drive out protesters from the grounds of the Eugene Federal Building on Jan. 30, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.(Ben Lonergan, The Register-Guard via USA TODAY Network)

Protesters gather at City Hall in response to recent actions by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly referred to as "ICE," and the presence of Flock cameras in the community and Indiana University campus, in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026.(Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times)

People partake in a "National Shutdown" protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(FREDERIC J. BROWN, AFP via Getty Images)

A Penn High School student confronts a man in a car line at the school who was shouting, "Let's go ICE!" as students were marching past during a walkout protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Mishawaka, Indiana.(MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE)

People partake in a "National Shutdown" protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Boston, Massachusetts on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(JOSEPH PREZIOSO, AFP via Getty Images)

People hold a photo of Alex Pretti, who was shot dead by federal agents, during a protest in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026.(Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)

People hold a photo of Renee Good, who was shot dead by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, during a "National Shutdown" protest in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(ROBERTO SCHMIDT, AFP via Getty Images)

Protestors clash with police during a "National Shutdown" protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles on Jan. 30, 2026. Donald Trump's border chief said Jan. 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown. The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine.(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)

Students walked out or skipped school to join others in the student-led ICE Out protest in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 30, 2026.(Brianna Paciorka, News Sentinel via USA TODAY Network)

A protestor reacts to being hit by tactical gas used by federal agents in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)

LAPD officers attempt to clear protestors during 'National Shutdown" anti-ICE protests on Jan. 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Across the country, thousands participated in similar protests as the nation continues to react to events in Minneapolis, where two people were killed in confrontations with ICE and other government immigration agents.(Mario Tama, Getty Images)

Thousands of protestors begin to march away from city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)

Demonstrators gather in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse during an ICE Out! rally in downtown Cincinnati on Jan. 30, 2026.(Sam Greene, The Enquirer via USA TODAY Network)

Hacks actress Megan Stalter holds up a protest sign outside of city hall in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)

Protesters gather at the Rhode Island State House on Jan. 30, 2026 as part of the nationwide 'ICE Out' national strike.(Savana Dunning/The Providence Journal)

People protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, California, Jan. 30, 2026.(Jill Connelly, Reuters)

A demonstrator reacts in front of Los Angeles Police Department officers standing guard during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026.(Jill Connelly, Reuters)

A Los Angeles Police Department helicopter circles the area over protestors outside of the federal detention center in Los Angeles, Calif., Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.(Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun)

Demonstrators gesture towards Los Angeles Police Department officers approaching them during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policies, near the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Los Angeles, Jan. 30, 2026.(Jill Connelly, Reuters)

People march down the road during a protest against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S, President Donald Trump's immigration policies outside the CoreCivic ICE detention center in Houston, Texas, Jan. 30, 2026.(Antranik Tavitian, Reuters)

Protesters gather at City Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, on Jan. 30, 2026, in response to recent immigration enforcement actions by the government.(MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE)