Federal agents from ICE and the FBI lead arrested workers from Tepache Mexican Restaurant into an unmarked white van during an immigration raid in Mars, Pennsylvania on June 25, 2025. In total, 14 workers were arrested. (Photo by Quinn Glabicki/Pittsburgh’s Public Source)
From how to respond to who’s cooperating with ICE locally, here’s what attorneys and advocates want you to know.
“Pittsburgh’s Public Source is an independent nonprofit newsroom serving the Pittsburgh region. Sign up for our free newsletters.”
President Trump’s uncompromising approach to immigration enforcement has led to a sharp increase in arrests in the Pittsburgh area this year.
Since May, Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] have been tasked with arresting 3,000 immigrants daily in the United States. In early July, the agency received an additional $75 billion, making it the highest-funded domestic law enforcement agency. That funding is intended, in part, to increase the agency’s detention capacity for undocumented individuals — from 40,000 to 100,000.
Immigration enforcement remains a deeply polarized issue. Supporters of Trump’s approach say these actions uphold the rule of law and protect national security. Critics argue they endanger vulnerable people and separate families.
Immigration attorneys interviewed by Pittsburgh’s Public Source report phones ringing “nonstop,” as local people seek legal support. We spoke to advocates and lawyers to understand how they’re advising clients and the public at this moment.
How many people have ICE detained locally?
There have been at least 447 ICE arrests in the Pittsburgh region, defined as a 50-mile radius from Downtown, since Trump took office Jan. 20, according to agency data obtained by the Data Deportation Project and analyzed by Public Source. That figure represents a 267% increase over the same period in 2024 — during which the agency made 167 local arrests — but only a small fraction of the 111,590 ICE arrests nationwide.
Who is carrying out immigration enforcement in Pittsburgh?
ICE is the federal agency tasked with detaining and deporting people suspected of living in the United States illegally. ICE is an arm of the Department of Homeland Security and includes divisions of Enforcement and Removal Operations [ERO] and Homeland Security Investigations [HSI]. Agents with all three divisions are commonly seen at immigration arrests in the Pittsburgh area, said Jaime Martinez, community defense organizer at Casa San José.
ICE agents frequently work with other agencies, too. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA], the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives [ATF], the U.S. Marshal Service and even officers of the U.S. Department of the Treasury have been involved in local ICE raids, Martinez said. The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has also reportedly been involved in immigration enforcement.
What does ICE look like?
ICE agents typically arrive in plainclothes, Martinez said. Sometimes they display a badge around their neck, and typically the agents drive unmarked American-made sedans, SUVs or pickup trucks with tinted windows, and they’re usually white, silver, blue or black with normal Pennsylvania license plates. Sometimes the agents wear face masks to disguise their identities.
Which local police forces are cooperating?
ICE has “really been making a concerted effort to increase cooperation with local law enforcement,” said Keith Armstrong, an immigration attorney at the Pennsylvania American Civil Liberties Union.
At the start of the second Trump administration, there were zero 287(g) agreements — ICE partnerships with local law enforcement — in Pennsylvania, Armstrong said.
The agency’s most recent report listed 28 local agencies in Pennsylvania with standing 287(g) agreements as of July 29, with two more pending.
In Southwestern Pennsylvania, the Butler and Washington County sheriffs have signed agreements with ICE, along with the Sewickley Township, Unity Township and Lower Burrell Fourth Ward Constable’s Offices in Westmoreland County and the New Sewickley Township Police Department in Beaver County. The Cambria County Sheriff’s Office has a pending application.
In Allegheny County, the Robinson Township Police Department and the Monroeville State Constable’s Office have signed agreements.
All but two of the approved 287(g) agreements in Pennsylvania operate on a “task force model” which, according to ICE, “serves as a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties.”
In Pittsburgh, where Trump and his policies are generally unpopular, Mayor Ed Gainey has vowed not to cooperate with ICE, although that does not prevent the agency from making arrests in the city. In surrounding counties and suburbs, where the president has more support, some law enforcement are partnering with ICE.
Where is ICE targeting?
Locally, ICE has targeted courthouse parking lots, Martinez said, seeking to detain people before or after unrelated court cases. The agency is also targeting worksites, businesses like Home Depot and local restaurants, Martinez said. Walmart parking lots have also been a recent target for ICE, according to local immigration attorney Samantha Tamburro.
What are your rights if you are detained by ICE or observe an arrest?
If you are approached by ICE agents, the Pennsylvania ACLU gives specific guidance for how to exercise your rights:
- Ask the agents: Am I free to leave? If ICE says yes, walk away.
- You have the right to remain silent. If you wish to exercise that right, say so to the agents, even if they possess a warrant.
- Sharing your country of origin, immigration status, criminal history or any other personal information can be used against you. You are not obligated to answer any questions.
- If you witness a concerning police or ICE interaction, do not physically interfere, but you have a right to record from any public space, like a street or sidewalk.
If you are arrested by ICE, the ACLU advises:
- Do not resist arrest. Do not explain your situation or status. You have the right to remain silent. If you wish to exercise that right, say so out loud.
- If you have a lawyer, give police or ICE the lawyer’s name or card. If you do not have an attorney, ask for the list of free legal services in your area. Do not sign anything without first talking to an attorney.
- You have the right to an interpreter in your own language. Do not sign anything in a language that you do not understand.
Martinez suggests looking out for a G-28 form, which allows for access to an attorney.
If you have a legal status, show your documents to the agents. Martinez advises non-citizens to carry their documents with them at all times.
Tamburro added that if you have been in the United States longer than two years, you should tell agents that information immediately, but don’t lie. If you are fearful of being deported, tell the agents you are afraid to go back. “If they have a fear, they need to voice that,” Tamburro said, explaining that this kind of information can help strengthen a case in front of an immigration judge who might ultimately decide the case.
Tamburro recommends compiling documents that might be needed if you are detained, including:
- Identification documents, including passports or driver’s licenses
- Tax documentation
- Children’s birth certificates
- Anything that speaks to moral character, like a letter of endorsement from a faith or community leader
- Death certificates of family members who may have been killed in the home country, or other documentation that might substantiate being afraid of deportation.
What to do if you encounter ICE as an observer?
Martinez encourages people in Western Pennsylvania with concerns about potential ICE activities to call Casa San José’s hotline at 412-736-7167. The organization has built a network of volunteers trained to respond to ICE sightings, arrests and raids.
Martinez encourages observers to record ICE encounters. “Watching is really helpful,” he said, encouraging observers to speak to witnesses and gain as much information about the detention as possible, like the number of agents involved, number of people detained and any other notable details about the arrest. He warned against contact with officers: Don’t physically interfere.
Martinez also cautioned against asking a person being detained any questions that could compromise them, including their name and country of origin.
“ICE will tell you, put the phones away, you can’t record us,” said Mike Healey, an attorney advising Casa San José and its growing network of rapid response volunteers. “They’re performing functions in the public; you have the right to take video of their operations. They may try to take your phone. I advise don’t fight with ICE over it. Don’t get yourself arrested.”
Where are people detained, moved to and what happens next?
When people are arrested by ICE in the Pittsburgh region, the first stop is the Department of Homeland Security building at Sydney Street on the South Side, Martinez said. There, the person is identified and processed and sometimes asked by ICE agents to sign a stipulated removal document, which would waive their right to an immigration hearing before a judge. (Martinez says not to sign this.)
Within hours, the person is typically transferred. Sometimes they will stop at Erie County Jail or Northern Regional Jail in Moundsville, West Virginia, before ultimately landing at Moshannon Valley Processing Center — an ICE detention facility operated by the GEO group, a private prison operator, in Clearfield County, and one of the largest ICE detention facilities in the Northeast United States.
Some people may be put into expedited removal, Armstrong said, which means they are not necessarily entitled to an immigration court hearing. After changes to federal immigration policy, many more people are being marked for expedited removal.
Some people may also be eligible to post a bond and to be released, but recent policy changes have shrunk opportunities for detained people to post bond.
If you are not removed and can’t post bond, Armstrong said, “you will probably be detained at one of the bigger facilities longer term.”
What local resources exist?
- Casa San José
- Bond fund
- Legal clinics
- Information about immigration attorneys
- Rapid Response Network
- PA Immigration coalition
- Know your rights information
- Emergency planning for families
- Prepare for a workplace raid
- Resources for educators, schools, staff and health care providers
- Rapid response beyond Pittsburgh
- PA Immigrant Family Unity Project
- Publicly funded defense counsel for detained immigrants
- Pennsylvania Immigrant Resource Center
- Removal defense legal services for immigrants detained in Pennsylvania
- Pro bono attorneys
- Know your rights
- Information for people with family members detained by immigration authorities
- Jewish Family and Community Services
- Immigration legal services and advisement
- Counseling and youth services
- Hello Neighbor
- Support and resources for housing, employment, education, language support and healthcare for immigrant communities
- Legal services including family reunification, visa petitions and permanent residence, asylum and temporary protected status support
- Latino Community Center
- Resources for immigrant families
- What to do if a parent or guardian is detained or deported
- Forms to appoint temporary guardianship for children
- ACLU PA
- Know your rights
- File a legal complaint
Quinn Glabicki is the environment and climate reporter at Pittsburgh’s Public Source. He can be reached at quinn@publicsource.org and on Instagram @quinnglabicki.
Hannah Frances Johansson contributed data reporting.
This article first appeared on Pittsburgh’s Public Source and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.