Research & Resources

Berks Organizing Workgroup

Jan 1

3 min read

Here you will find current research surrounding ICE detention centers and harmful immigration enforcement practices used by the current administration.

HUMAN IMPACT

These reports detail conditions at two detention centers in Pennsylvania: Moshannon Valley Detention Center in Clearfield County for adults and Abraxas Academy Shelter and Detention Program in Morgantown, PA.

Children At Risk-A Regulatory Analysis of Abraxas Academy and the Case for an Emergency Removal Order (3-2026)

Report detailing the history of abuses of minors held in their custody.

ACLU-PA In Shadow of the Moshannon Valley (June 2024)

Report on interviews with 77 people detained for more than a month, describes conditions inside

COMMUNITY IMPACT

Deputized for Disaster: How President Trump’s Supersized 287(g) Deportation Force is a Powder Keg for Law Enforcement, Our Communities, and Our Democracy By ACLU, Feb. 26, 2026

The report examines the impact of 287(g) agreements in nearly two dozen states and finds that the Trump administration’s misuse of the 287(g) program has extended Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) reach into everyday policing. As a result, local officers are being used to carry out “show me your papers” immigration enforcement — often during routine traffic stops — eroding constitutional protections, undermining public safety, and diverting limited local resources away from core law enforcement responsibilities.

Stopping Mass Deportation thru Sheriffs [PDF - 10 pages]

By SafetyBound.org

5% of People Detained By ICE Have Violent Convictions, 73% No Convictions

By Cato Institute, analysis of ICE data up to Nov. 2025

If You Build It, ICE Will Fill It: The Link Between Detention Capacity and ICE Arrests [2022 Report] By Immigrant Legal Resource Center

Immigration Dragnet: New Era of 287(g) , July 2025 [PDF - 15 pages]

by Immigrant Legal Resource Center

This policy brief reviews the recent history of 287(g) agreements and how they’ve proliferated, describes the three 287(g) agreement models, examines a case study of escalating 287(g) programs in Florida, delves into the programs’ dangers and harms, and provides some recommendations for local communities that want to stop 287(g) agreements in their tracks.

Hiding in Plain Sight, Dec. 2025

New ICE arrest data show the power of state and local governments to curtail mass deportations

Using fresh data on ICE arrests through mid-October from the Deportation Data Project, we examine how jails continue to facilitate mass deportation, spotlighting important opportunities for resistance at the state and local levels

Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)

Police depts apply for more Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). See accolades by Berks District Attorney John Adams.

Sample Safe Zone Resolution, May 2023

Sample Safe Zone Resolution & Model Policy for school districts by NEA

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

These are the letters between the PA-Dept of Environmental Protection (DEP) and DHS/ICE representative Ingalsbe. Thankfully, our DEP is holding the line and keeping them accountable.

2026 Mar-24 DEP Response to ICE (cc: Hamburg)

DEP cannot grant extension. Asserts compliance with original order.

2026 Mar-17 ICE Agent Ingalsbe Requests Extension to April 30

Admits that DHS/ICE did not prepare plans to address water, sewage, or required reports.

2026 Mar-05 DEP Admin Order to DHS UpperBern

Full order by PA-DEP to deny occupancy of the warehouses until safeguards are in place.