ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Lehigh Valley community leaders, state officials and local advocacy groups assembled Wednesday in Allentown to voice their opposition to what they called an anti-immigration bill being considered by the state Legislature.
Organized by Make the Road Pennsylvania, “Pennsylvania Welcomes Immigrants” sent a strong message to state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh — for his upcoming legislative package containing what the group categorized as “anti-immigrant" bills.
Speakers at the event, including state Reps. Danilo Burgos, D-Philadelphia, Manny Guzman, D-Berks, and Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, D-Berks, championed the contributions of those born outside the country and their impact on the commonwealth.
Also at the event were members of Make the Road Pennsylvania, the Woori Center, the Free Migration Project, and the Pennsylvania Policy Center.
“Undocumented immigrants contribute over $20 billion to the federal government, over $20 billion. And they receive very little in return, other than the opportunity to work and provide for their families. They're not here taking. They're here helping. They're helping each and every time so the state of Pennsylvania can grow."Rep. Danilo Burgos, D-Berks
They called out Mackenzie for blocking opportunities for hardworking individuals born outside the country to reap the benefits of citizenship.
On Dec. 13, Mackenzie held a news conference to discuss his six bills, which include initiatives to verify all public contract workers as individuals with work authorizations and ending sanctuary cities, among others.
“Not only is immigration a federal issue, but it’s also an issue we need to deal with here in Pennsylvania law as well,” Mackenzie said.
“The things we can do really fall into two categories. The first is enforcing existing federal law. The second relates to a number of areas in state government, where we already collect data on citizenship.
"We want to make sure an individual is here lawfully and not doing anything illegal.”
Speakers call it attack on immigration workforce
State Rep. Joshua Siegel, D-Lehigh, who was at Wednesday's event, said Mackenzie’s policies show, "He’s very clearly trying to be the Ron DeSantis of the Lehigh Valley,” by targeting immigrant communities.
“I find that behavior deplorable," Siegel said. "I think, especially here in the Lehigh Valley, what we should do is be standing shoulder to shoulder with our communities of color and our immigrant communities, because they're coming here to the state of Pennsylvania, a place where we know we've got a shrinking population.
"And we should be embracing the fact that folks want to come from all around the world and call Pennsylvania home and do their part to contribute, whether that may be starting a business or serving in the Pennsylvania legislature, or working as nurses and school teachers and police officers."
Speakers at Wednesday’s event viewed the package as an attack on an immigrant workforce they said has been essential to the growth and success of Pennsylvania and the nation.
Make the Road Pennsylvania Co-Deputy State Director Patty Torres said she was pleased with the turnout for the event, which packed 144 N. 7th St. to call out Mackenzie.
“We gathered here today to call on his anti-immigrant rhetoric," Torres said. "He introduced a package of anti-immigrant bills that hurt our communities.
"And today we were very clear that we stand against them every time and we will do anything that we can to block this legislation from going forward."
Addressing the crowd, Torres said Mackenzie’s bills, "terrorize immigrants” and ignore the fact that “immigrants and refugees strengthen our communities and economy.”
“Rep. Ryan Mackenzie should recognize the contributions of immigrants here in the Lehigh Valley and why people are being forced to emigrate from their home countries.
"The solution is to strengthen the U.S. asylum and immigration system and expand pathways to protections such as granting drivers’ licenses for all in Pennsylvania and preventing family separation,” Torres said, presenting the entirety of her speech in both English and Spanish.
As speakers took to the podium, the crowd passionately cried out, “Yes we can!” in Spanish and Korean, invigorating the attendees.
'We're here to stay'
Make the Road Pennsylvania Deputy Organizing Director Armando Jimenez said he has lived in the Lehigh Valley for more than 30 years, and as a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, he has witnessed the plights immigrants deal with routinely.
“I've experienced the real effects of hateful, racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric that gets pushed," Jimenez said. "Hateful bills like that around the country don't just get written on the paper.
"They terrorize families and make Pennsylvanians less safe. They pit people against each other, they make Pennsylvanians live in fear.”
Jimenez called on Mackenzie to “stop using us as a distraction and get to work” on action items like increased wages and housing security.
Burgos, who also serves as the chairman of the Latino Caucus, asked the crowd to look past national rhetoric demonizing immigrants, and to recognize how much they contribute to the growth of cities such as Hazleton, which he said has become a burgeoning spot for immigrants to improve their lives and the lives of others.
“Undocumented immigrants contribute over $20 billion to the federal government, over $20 billion," Burgos said. "And they receive very little in return, other than the opportunity to work and provide for their families.
"They're not here taking. They're here helping. They're helping each and every time so the state of Pennsylvania can grow.”
Speaking mostly in Spanish, Cepeda-Freytiz urged elected officials and citizens to recognize immigrants and stop the spread of hate and misleading information.
“The time is now: embrace our immigrant community, work with our immigrant community and empower them because they are empowering us," Cepeda-Freytiz said.
"They're providing to our economy. They're providing better quality of life not only for their families, but for our neighbors and our neighborhoods.”
'We will hold you accountable'
Guzman characterized Mackenzie’s bill package as “racist, misogynist-type bills [and] xenophobic-type bills” that need to be recognized and fought against by all voters across the Lehigh Valley and the commonwealth.
“Well, let me tell you something here, Rep. Mackenzie, and to all of our colleagues across the aisle — we will hold you accountable," Guzman said.
"We will hold you accountable by not only finding candidates to run against you, but also making sure that we show up to your district, also making sure that the people in your district know about the bills that you're introducing, also make sure that the people in your district know about the values and the policies that you're pushing forward because they are not in line with the policies and the values of the people that are standing here behind us.”
Speaking on her history as a DACA recipient, a single mother, and an essential worker, Bella Castorena stressed the need for reformed immigration legislation that can't be undone at a whim, and that could benefit the needs of all hardworking immigrants.
“These past 12 years have been a roller coaster of emotions with DACA," Castorena said, also repeating her speech in Spanish.
"But our parents have been suffering for decades with a broken immigration system. That just shows us that we need a permanent solution for all. The Trump administration showed us that they could take action to end programs like DACA, so we need our elected leaders to take action now.”
'Time to change that policy'
Woori Center Executive Director Hyenock "Mel" Lee spoke on her organization’s efforts to work with her community “as changemakers” for a more equitable Pennsylvania for all marginalized individuals in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
Lee said Mackenzie’s bill package was “dehumanizing, fearmongering, and divisive rhetoric” that would violate basic human rights.
“We cannot let them use our communities as a political pawn," Lee said. "So today, and yet again, we urge our legislators to stop these anti-immigrant bills and to reject the harmful rhetoric.
“We urge our legislators to seek meaningful solutions to the problems that are impacting Pennsylvanians and to expand pathways to protection for immigrant families.
"And ultimately, we urge the Congress to uphold our values and work toward humane immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers and ensure that immigrants are treated with respect and dignity.”
Pennsylvania Policy Center Outreach and Partnerships Director Jeff Garis heralded immigrants for their expansive work in the community and across the state, noting roughly 1 in 13 Pennsylvanians are born outside the country.
Garis noted the “vital contributions” of immigrants in the state, who he said make up 8.3% of health care workers; 18.5% of custodial and maintenance workers; 9.4% of trucking, mail, and warehouse workers; nearly 10% of grocery, pharmaceutical and retail workers; and “overwhelmingly a significant part” of agricultural, transportation, and food service workers.
“Undocumented workers contribute via taxes $208 million in state and local taxes here in Pennsylvania," Garis said.
"Giving them full legal status, that report found it would yield an additional $50 million in state and local tax revenue. And that's just among undocumented workers.
“Immigrants in Pennsylvania, both documented and undocumented, paid nearly $10 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in Pennsylvania in 2019.
"Yet despite their contributions, undocumented workers are not eligible for most federal and state services. We think it's time to change that policy.”
'They are our champions'
In an email response from Mackenzie, he described the gathering as a "rally in support of illegal immigration."
“Rep. Danilo Burgos and the other radical extremists who came from Philadelphia brought their hate-filled, divisive rhetoric with them to the Lehigh Valley," the statement reads.
"It is sad to see this taking place in America, and I completely denounce their stated goals of defunding law enforcement and allowing for wide open borders.
“The words and actions expressed by Rep. Burgos and others are putting people in jeopardy by allowing for increased drug use, increased human trafficking that exploits people through sex trafficking and forced labor, increased crime in our communities, and increased targeting of law enforcement."
Mackenzie this year plans to seek the Republican nomination for U.S. House in the seat held by U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley. He cited a January 2024 Quinnipiac University poll’s findings that said “an overwhelming majority of voters (84%) consider illegal immigration at the U.S. border with Mexico as a very serious problem.
"Nearly 8 in 10 voters (79%) also think Democratic congressional leaders should compromise on their positions on border security to come to an agreement with Republican congressional leaders, while 15% think they should not,” the poll said.
While the bills are still under consideration, Torres said she hoped the vigor and passion of the rally’s speakers would spread among Pennsylvanians and their legislature in order to contest the legislation.
“I think it went really good," Torres said. "We had a large crowd of Allentown residents and also residents from other counties, including Berks County, Philadelphia, and Lancaster, and we had our elected officials.
"They are our champions, defending the rights of immigrants in this state."
