Mon Valley senators support Pa.’s ICE bill

The legislation to notify federal enforcement officials when illegal immigrants are charged with crimes passed the state Senate by a 31-18 margin.

The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill Monday requiring prosecutors to report criminal defendants who are not U.S. citizens to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Four senators from Mon Valley districts all voted in favor of the measure.

The bill was approved by a 31-18 margin and will head to the Democrat- controlled House. Republicans Camera Bartolotta, Kim Ward and Pat Stefano all supported the bill, and Nick Pisciottano was one of four Democratic senators to vote in favor of it.

The measure states if a Pennsylvania prosecutor “obtains information reasonably indicating that a criminal defendant is not” a U.S. citizen, they must notify ICE.

Senate Republicans view the bill as a way to ensure the safety of residents across the state.

“Simply put, if you are in the United States illegally and break the law, you will be held accountable,” Ward said. “This is a common sense measure that will protect our communities and residents by allowing ICE and our state and local authorities to be aligned and prevent illegal immigrants who are criminals from remaining in Pennsylvania and hopefully our country.”

Bartolotta said she is all for cracking down on criminals who have entered the country illegally.

“This isn’t going out and rounding up everyone who we suspect is here illegally; that’s not this bill,” Bartolotta said. “This is because we have far too many illegals, who — first of all — have broken the law coming illegally across the border or however.”

Bartolotta emphasized that the bill does not affect legal immigrants.

“We have a lot of immigrants here who came in good faith in a legal way,” she said. “This is not those people we’re talking about. We’re talking about people who have come in illegally. There are so many gang members, cartel members, drug dealers, criminals, all these other folks that are wreaking havoc in our streets.”

Bartolotta advocated for governmental cooperation with ICE.

“We need local, state and federal officials to all be working on the same page, and this means if you come in illegally and commit a crime, you leave. Get out, no more free pass,” she said.

Bartolotta pointed to examples of illegal immigrants committing violent crimes, including the murder of University of Georgia student Laken Riley last year.

However, many studies demonstrate that immigrants, even those who enter the country illegally, tend to commit substantially fewer violent crimes than U.S. citizens.

A U.S. Department of Justice study released last year indicated that immigrants who enter the country illegally are arrested 50% less than native-born U.S. citizens for drug and violent crimes. The data reviewed in the study was collected from Texas between 2012 and 2018.

The state Senate passed a similar bill last year, but it stalled out in the House. Bartolotta, Ward and Stefano also voted for that measure, as did retired Democrat Jim Brewster, who held the District 45 seat prior to Pisciottano.

Stefano and Pisciottano did not respond to requests for comment prior to press time.