Mark Pinsley, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania Senate District 16, would stop the Pennsylvania State Police, state prisons and other state agencies from helping with federal civil immigration enforcement. As Lehigh County Controller, Pinsley found in January 2026 that Homeland Security Investigations, a division of ICE, had used county office space for 38 months without paying — $115,425.51. He recommended the county demand payment and issue an eviction notice. The County Executive ended the lease the next day, and the rent was paid. (CBS News Philadelphia · City & State Pennsylvania)
What the state can and can’t control
When a town signs what’s called a 287(g) agreement, ICE gives the local police training and resources in exchange for helping with immigration enforcement. The state can’t stop a town from signing one — that’s the town’s decision.
But the state does control its own agencies — the State Police, state prisons and every state department. Pinsley says they shouldn’t take part in federal civil immigration enforcement.
Why
- Federal enforcement has gone too far. ICE and DHS under the current administration have gone beyond their purpose and lost public trust.
- Local money should pay for local safety. Tax dollars from Upper Macungie or Quakertown should pay for policing there, not federal enforcement.
- It makes police less effective. Police depend on people calling when something happens. When residents fear that calling the police could get a family member deported, they stop reporting crimes and stop serving as witnesses. That’s a public safety problem.
- Towns carry the cost. These agreements bring paperwork, training and legal risk — all paid for by the town, and all taking time away from real public safety work.
The rent and the policy
The rent and the policy are separate. The rent was simply money owed to the county — his office has gone after the county’s own health plan and jail vendor the same way. The policy is about what Pennsylvania’s own agencies should be doing.
What connects them: public agencies answer to the public that pays for them, and a federal badge doesn’t change that.
More: Which candidate found ICE had gone three years without paying rent?
Pinsley has been Lehigh County Controller since 2020. He faces Republican incumbent Jarrett Coleman on November 3, 2026, in a district covering parts of Lehigh and Bucks counties.
