Living in fear: ICE raids in Washington have immigrant community on edge
UPDATE: This story was updated on Nov. 8 to reflect confirmation of ICE raids.
The recent ICE raids across the country and in Southwestern Pennsylvania, along with immigration enforcement agents in the city of Washington in recent weeks, have sparked fear among immigrants in the area.
鈥淎round last October, the fear level from 0 to 10 was at a 2. I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 now at an 8 or 9. It鈥檚 awful. People are frightened,鈥 said the Rev. Jay Donahue, parochial vicar at St. Oscar Romero Parish in Washington. The parish includes Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Meadow Lands, where Donahue conducts a weekly Mass in Spanish for the church鈥檚 large Latino community.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement鈥檚 Philadelphia office confirmed in an email on Friday that ICE operations have been taking place in the city of Washington.
Since Oct. 20, as many as 23 immigrants have been detained in the city of Washington and nearby communities, according to Erenia Karamcheti, director of social services at St. Oscar Romero Parish.
In one incident, three immigrants who work in construction were reportedly detained last week while stopping for breakfast at a restaurant on Jefferson Avenue.
Families of those who have been detained have turned to Karamcheti for help to locate where their loved ones are being detained, and when and if they will be given a fair hearing.
Karamcheti said a brother of one of the construction workers who was detained told her his brother, who speaks limited English, unintentionally signed a self-deportation letter and is being sent back to Guatemala.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been a very, very sharp uptick in enforcement around Pittsburgh,鈥 said Joe Murphy, an immigration attorney with Allegheny Immigration Group. 鈥淧eople are being grabbed at courthouses 鈥 in one case, right in front of me 鈥 and you see people detained going to hearings, to Social Security offices and other government offices.鈥
ICE arrests have soared across the country since President Donald Trump鈥檚 second term began in January and the government launched a massive crackdown on immigrants.
Nationwide, ICE raids have occurred at farms, construction sites and other businesses, and near schools and other 鈥渟ensitive locations鈥 that, Murphy said, 鈥渉as intentionally created an atmosphere of fear.鈥
Karamcheti has been using ICE鈥檚 online detainee locator system in an attempt to find where local detainees have been transported. She has tracked some to locations including Cambria County Prison and Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
City of Washington police and Washington County Sheriff鈥檚 office said they were not notified of ICE presence.
ICE operations are federal, and the agency isn鈥檛 required to notify local police of enforcement actions.
The sheriff鈥檚 office 鈥 which has a 287(g) agreement with ICE to perform some immigration enforcement duties 鈥 said its agency has received no request for assistance from ICE.
Concern over ICE activity has left families afraid to do everyday activities, said Monica Ruiz, executive director of Casa San Jose, a nonprofit support organization for Latino immigrants that has built a Rapid Response Network of trained volunteers who monitor and document ICE activity across Allegheny County and neighboring areas.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e afraid to go to work, they鈥檙e afraid to send their kids to school or take them to school, and they鈥檙e scared to go to the store,鈥 said Ruiz, noting detainments in Southwestern Pennsylvania have increased 250% since this time last year. 鈥淚t has made it difficult for people to function and it obviously takes a toll on their financial stability, but it also takes a toll on their mental health.鈥
Karamcheti has shopped for groceries, cooked meals, and picked up prescriptions for those who prefer not to leave home, and she and others have arranged transportation for school students whose parents are afraid to drive them.
On a recent morning, Karamcheti stopped by the home of a woman whose husband, from Guatemala, has been detained at Cambria County Prison. The couple have a toddler, and she is fearful that her husband will be deported.
Earlier that week, she got a phone call from a mother whose son left for work on a Friday but didn鈥檛 show up.
鈥淭hen he called Saturday to tell her he was detained by ICE,鈥 said Karamcheti.
Attendance at the church鈥檚 regular health, dental, and legal clinics has dropped. Donahue said 15 people had signed up to attend a health clinic operated by volunteer doctors earlier this week, but only three showed up.
Karamcheti said she had thought the Trump administration鈥檚 immigration enforcement policies would be aimed at violent criminals, and is alarmed that people without criminal records are being swept up.
鈥淭hey are not taking criminals. They are taking hard-working people,鈥 said Karamcheti. 鈥淭hese are good people, without any criminal record, who just want to work and take care of their families.鈥
Ruiz agreed.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 important for people to understand is that this was supposed to be about detaining criminals, and what we鈥檙e seeing is that鈥檚 not what鈥檚 happening,鈥 she said.
According to statistics from the Cato Institute, about 65% of those detained had no criminal convictions and 93% had no violent convictions, and most convictions among those with a record fell into minor offenses such as immigration or traffic violations.
Donahue said attendance at Mass at Miraculous Medal has remained steady, but noted it has dropped at other churches in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and other congregations serving the Latino community.
On Sunday, about 200 people filled the pews at a Mass that acknowledged Dia de los Muertos, a celebration of life that honors and remembers deceased loved ones.
鈥淚t was one of the biggest church services we鈥檝e ever had,鈥 said Donahue, who was delighted at the turnout and a celebration held later, where church members filled an altar with photos of deceased loved ones, marigolds, glowing candles, salt, and offerings of favorite food and drink. 鈥淟uckily, Mass attendance has not died down, but people are not showing up at events like they used to.鈥
The Catholic Church steadfastly defends the rights of immigrants.
In an email statement, Bishop Mark Eckman, bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, said
鈥淎s the Catholic Church teaches, every person has dignity and worth as a child of God. The Church supports the right of nations to protect their borders while also affirming the fundamental rights of migrants and refugees to safety, family unity, and the opportunity for a dignified life. Our parishes continue to accompany those in need through prayer, pastoral care, and acts of compassion.鈥
Donahue, who regularly writes letters to congressional representatives and senators decrying the current U.S. anti-immigration policies, has accompanied congregants to immigration court and lobbied for the release of a church member who had been detained in Moshannon for 3 1鈦2 months before he was released.
Earlier this week, Donahue served as a translator at the immigration hearing of a parishioner from Mexico who faced deportation and a re-entry ban after her visa expired. The woman, who is engaged to a U.S. citizen and is planning a 2026 wedding, won her case.
The parish also is serving as caregiver for two children whose mother was detained and deported to Mexico, he said.
At St. Oscar Romero, a parish group launched a GoFundMe this summer to raise money for rent, food and bills for families who have lost financial resources, including its immigrant church members.
Donahue worries that the human rights and dignity of immigrants are being ignored.
鈥淲hat are we doing here? The key is to see that these are human faces, not bunk bed numbers,鈥 said Donahue, referring to a church member who was detained at Moshannon and was called 鈥淯p 25鈥 for 3 陆 months because he occupied the top bunk of bed 25 in a 38-bed unit. 鈥淚t鈥檚 dehumanizing.鈥
Ruiz said immigrants, who pay taxes, 鈥渂ring a lot of economic value to our community.鈥
鈥淭hink about places in Washington County where immigrants have worked on farms and in other occupations. They鈥檙e ingrained into that community. Let鈥檚 be honest, they鈥檙e not getting any free things, they鈥檙e contributing,鈥 she said.
Ruiz, too, is dismayed by what she calls the 鈥渋nhumane鈥 treatment of documented and undocumented immigrants who are being picked up every day in the Pittsburgh area.
鈥淭his is not who we are. I don鈥檛 want this to be who we are,鈥 said Ruiz. 鈥淲e have to be better than this.鈥