At this month's Berks County Prison Board meeting, residents from across the county came prepared with thoughtful questions about the prison's ongoing cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They spoke about constitutional rights, due process, taxpayer dollars, humanitarian concerns, and the role our local government plays in transferring people into federal immigration custody. What they received in return was something quite different. Rather than d

This was a devastating week for immigrants, for due process, and for the rule of law. Three major legal decisions landed in rapid succession, and together they have fundamentally changed what it means to live in this country without full legal status — and what it means to be a neighbor, a colleague, a congregation member, or a friend of someone who doesn't. Here's what happened, and what it means for Berks County: The Supreme Court ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for

Please watch the 2023 Academy Award-nominated short film “A Lien” which deals with the dangerous and uncertain world of immigration bureaucracy and its effect on a family during a routine immigration meeting. The 14-minute movie was written and directed by David Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz and executive produced by Adam McKay. The film is free to watch on Vimeo. A short description of the film: Summoned for an interview regarding their residency permit, a young couple

After massive nationwide pushback against warehouse prison camps, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has abandoned plans to convert the warehouses in Upper Bern Township and Tremont, in Schuylkill Country. In a statement, U.S. Senator John Fetterman said “I’m pleased to confirm ICE will not be moving forward with detention facilities in Tremont and Upper Bern Townships.” This is a huge win for public pressure! It’s also a huge win for the residents of those communities

Pennsylvania state senators joined dozens of advocates and community leaders from across the Commonwealth in a united call for ICE Out of Pennsylvania with a suite of bills to protect the safety of Pennsylvania’s communities and uphold the rights of its people. The legislation outlines restrictions of federal immigration enforcement activities that mirror those passed by Philadelphia City Council in April. Watch video of the press conference. Read more about it from this WHYY

PennLIVE has reported a second death at Moshannon Detention Center in the past 10 months. An immigrant from Africa has become the second person since August to die in ICE custody at a Pennsylvania detention center. Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, 46, from Eritrea in northeast Africa, experienced “medical distress” Dec. 14 and died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement statement. Abdulkadir had been held for

Meeting recap, state leaders push back against ICE, actions you can take this week

Berks Organizing Workgroup held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 2, at First Unitarian Church in Reading, PA. Several Administrative members presented to the public updates on recent jail board and county commissioner meetings, media coverage, local protests, and recent DHS sightings. The presentation also explained details on how to break ICE collaboration at the local level while explaining 287g agreements, judicial warrants, and detainer forms. The group then learned p

Written by Jane Palmer Happy Memorial Day, This is my dad, Alfred Brian Palmer, who did not die in the service of his country (also, he was Australian) but he knew first hand what hell it was to be in prison camp. During World War II, he was imprisoned by the Italians and the Germans, and lost his right arm during one of many escapes. It's from him I learned to be bold. We are called to be bold now – to stand against fascism in all it's forms, including Berks County's quiet,

UPDATE (5/8/26) SUNDAY: Join ALDEA for a peaceful vigil at the home of Erasmo Zavala Almanza, a Berks County grandfather, caregiver, and cooperating witness in a domestic violence homicide case who is currently detained by ICE. From ALDEA: We are planning a vigil this Mother's Day (Sunday 5/10) at 4:00 PM at the home of Erasmo & Maria. This family lost their daughter to domestic violence in an incident where their infant granddaughter was also shot. Erasmo, the grandfather, i

IF YOU WITNESS ICE ACTIVITY IN BERKS COUNTY, CALL THE BURN RAPID RESPONSE HOTLINE AND GIVE AS MUCH DETAIL AS YOU CAN. HOTLINE: 610-850-9930 We need to put an end to human warehousing. DHS/ICE purchased an unused warehouse located at 3501 Mountain Road in Upper Bern Township near I-78 and a closed distribution center in Tremont, Schuylkill County, reported Spotlight PA. ICE plans to convert the Upper Bern warehouse, originally designed to handle about 200 workers over three sh

We want ICE completely out of Berks, root and branch — we want a county where all of our neighbors, regardless of status, can live without fear of state-sanctioned violence. Communities across the country are already winning this fight. We can too. On April 25, 2026 — the National Day of Action to Stop ICE Warehouse Detention — Berks residents gathered at the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Reading, Pennsylvania for Disappeared in Berks, a vigil and town hall honoring

This heart-wrenching letter to Gov. Shapiro was sent from the wife of a Berks County resident who lives mere miles from the proposed ICE warehouse. The trauma of needless ICE detention and the pain of family separation is evident. (edited to protect identities) February 25, 2026 Dear Governor Shapiro, My name is Maria. My husband has been subject to prolonged detention– over eight months–at the Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center and transferred by ICE through multiple sta

UPDATE: Angela Della Valle was reunited with husband Carlos on April 28 after 258 Days Separated by Prolonged Detention. "Every day, Angela Della Valle drives an hour through central Louisiana’s yellow-pine hills to visit her husband at Winn Correctional Center, in the middle of the Kisatchie National Forest. The former state prison now houses immigration detainees. She pulls up to the gate as sunlight filters through the forest foliage. After driving through the first securi

Dear Prison Board, We have questions. You, the members of the Berks County Prison Board, are responsible for the safe-keeping, discipline, and employment of prisoners, and the government and management of the Berks County Jail, where upwards of 700 people are held every day at a cost to taxpayers of more than $52 million annually. As you well know, more than half of all bookings into the jail are for misdemeanors or local ordinance violations, and three quarters of bookings a

Congressman Dan Meuser wrote this opinion piece on March 27 detailing the assurances he's received from DHS about the warehouses in Upper Bern and Tremont. His tone suggests that we all just relax because everything is gonna be alright. Seriously, Dan? As if we don't know by now that DHS doesn't obey rules or honor promises, written or otherwise. These are the same folks who got evicted from their offices in Lehigh County because they didn't pay the rent! We can't judge the s

On March 28, 2026, at 11th and Rockland Streets and in downtown Kutztown, thousands of Berks Countians showed up at No Kings Protest along with an estimated 8 million people nationwide. It was the largest single day protest in American history. We protested a regime that is sending masked agents into our streets, terrorizing our communities, and spending billions of our tax dollars on missile strikes abroad all while driving up the cost of living and handing out massive givea

The Department of Homeland Security quietly purchased an industrial warehouse in Upper Bern Township near Hamburg with plans to convert it into an ICE detention center for up to 1,500 people for a limited time. They also purchased a warehouse in Schuylkill County near Tremont to imprison 7,500 people without a time limit! There was no public notice, no consultation, and no opportunity for community input. That lack of transparency is a continuation of the extensively document

Feb 27, 2026 Thank you for joining the thousands of Pennsylvanians saying NO to ICE in Berks County. And thanks to Governor Shapiro for coming here yesterday and promising to use “every tool at his disposal” to stop planned ICE detention centers here and in neighboring Schuylkill County. “We are not playing around,” he said. “We do not want this here.” We’re not playing around either, but we know the Governor can’t stop this violent federal assault by himself. He needs to hea

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