Tony Dastra Campaign for
Governor of Pennsylvania
Governor of Pennsylvania
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 17, 2026
Friday, April 17, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT
Green Party Candidates Call for ICE Abolition
Green Party candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania Tony Dastra said on April 4, “The expansion of reckless and unruly federal agencies, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), does not put Pennsylvania First, nor will it Make America Great Again.” Dastra was referring to ICE’s plan to warehouse an additional 8,000 immigrants in new prisons in Berks and Schuylkill Counties.
“We stand opposed to the expansion of ICE in Pennsylvania,” said Dastra. “It is time for us to consider its abolition as an agency and to return to more practical strategies which will provide justice for all. We need common sense immigration reform. The Green Party Platform says, ‘The Green Party stands firmly for social justice for all living in this country regardless of immigration status. Above all, policy and law must be humane. Anything less would be inconsistent with our Green Values, and with our nation’s values.’”
In February, ICE announced plans to build two new prisons in Schulykill County (holding 7,500 immigrants) and Berks County (holding 1,500 immigrants). These would accompany local jails currently housing ICE prisoners in Cambria, Clearfield, Clinton, Erie, Franklin, and Pike Counties. ICE also houses prisoners in the federal prison in Philadelphia.
“My opponents in this year’s election, have spun wishy-washy stories,” said Dastra. The Republican front-runner told the media that ICE plans to expand in PA “warrant serious review.” Back in February, the incumbent Democrat said, “I’m not going to get into specific steps we are going to take, but I can assure you, over the next couple of weeks or so, we’ll be prepared to take them.”
“It is strange to me that neither candidate would make clear their opposition to ICE detention centers,” said Dastra, the Green Party candidate for PA Governor. “Frankly, it reveals cowardice and trickery, whether they are for or against. I will make it clear that I am opposed to having any ICE detention centers in our Commonwealth. When elected Governor of Pennsylvania, I will prevent the expansion of ICE so that we can prioritize Pennsylvania’s progress instead of wasting our developable land.”
Chair Craig Bolton, of the Green Party of Philadelphia, said, “In Philadelphia authorities arrest activists at protests and drag away community leaders because they stood in principled defiance against ICE. We see that ICE is an illegitimate and malice-driven federal agency. The least a candidate for governor in 2026 can do is prioritize a halt to ICE expansion in Pennsylvania. These facilities are being established for the express purpose of detaining our neighbors in dehumanizing conditions while siphoning resource utilities away from Pennsylvanians, potentially driving up the costs to residents.” Bolton is the 2026 Green Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.
Tony Dastra Campaign Contact Information
Website, https://www.dastraforpa.org/
Email, [email protected]
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/dastraforpa/
Facebook, www.facebook.com/DastraforPA
Email, [email protected]
Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/dastraforpa/
Facebook, www.facebook.com/DastraforPA
For More Information,
Green Party Platform, II. Social Justice, A. Civil Rights and Equal Rights, 2. Pathway to Citizenship, https://www.gp.org/social_justice#pathway
END ITEM
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