Reps. Lee, Deluzio, PA Colleagues Demand Stronger Data Transparency from ICE

Text of Letter (PDF)

PITTSBURGH, PA - September 11, 2026 - Yesterday, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) joined Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) and their colleagues Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) on a letter to the Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) exposing the lack of data transparency in current ICE records management and reporting. ICE is refusing to document in public records which local law enforcement agencies with a 287(g) agreement are involved in arrests, thereby hiding from public view how local law enforcement is involved in ICE's mass deportation regime.

Specifically, the Congressmembers are pushing for training records, complaints, and oversight records about 287(g) programs in Pennsylvania to be made public. The 287(g) program sets up partnerships between ICE and state or local law enforcement agencies to authorize selected officers to carry out federal immigration enforcement or deportation. Reps. Lee, Deluzio, Dean, and Scanlon are demanding ICE require its agents to fully complete the 287(g)-designation field in its arrest records and identify the participating agencies involved in arrests. They also make specific demands that more data, details, and records be released to the public.

The Pennsylvania congressmembers write in the letter:

"According to published federal records between January 1 to August 6, 2026, of the 1,227 Pennsylvania 287(g) arrest records, only 12 of those records included the task force designation agency that was involved in arrest. ICE chose to withhold that information more than 1,000 times so far this year despite such information being a designated field included in arrest records. This discrepancy undermines transparency and leaves the public without a clear understanding of which agency or department was involved.

The members continue:

"The public has a right to clear and complete information about the nature of the enforcement activities taking place in our neighborhoods and the departments or agencies responsible for carrying them out. Programs between federal and local law enforcement agencies must meet the highest standards of transparency."

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, shehas delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania's infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs. Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.