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A swing-district congressman is firing again at officers in his Pennsylvania county who referred to as a press convention Thursday to demand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be “evicted” from county buildings whereas questioning the “legitimacy” of federal regulation enforcement.
Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., informed Fox News Digital that Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, officers had been improper to attempt to boot ICE from workplace area within the county — the place he mentioned federal immigration enforcement have already got arrested quite a few unlawful immigrants convicted of theft and violent crimes, together with indecent assault on a minor.
But, county controller Mark Pinsley and newly elected Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, government Josh Siegel noticed it in another way, after headlining a press convention Thursday to demand ICE depart the world — with Siegel referring to the reported rent arrears as “blood money.”
The county is demanding instant cost of “unpaid rent” to the quantity of $115,000 and “termination of all negotiations with DHS,” the Department of Homeland Security, in accordance to info supplied by a consultant for Pinsley.
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Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, controller Mark Pinsley (D) (Monica Cabrea/Getty Images)
“Politics should never get in the way of allowing law enforcement to do its job. Instead of negotiating in good faith with (Homeland Security Investigations), Mr. Pinsley has chosen to attack an office that — I’m positive he is aware of — works to examine human trafficking and different severe threats,” Mackenzie informed Fox News Digital.
“This dispute isn’t about rent, it’s about far-left politics — something that was made clear when the County Executive announced that he didn’t want DHS’ ‘blood money’.”
The county’s seat, Allentown, Pennsylvania, is the third-largest within the state behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
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Mackenzie mentioned the transfer by county officers interferes with vital prison investigative work and that they “certainly don’t want to see radical officials sabotage federal law enforcement as they work to arrest predators, traffickers, and fraudsters,” occurring to refer to Siegel and Pinsley as “self-interested extremists.”
Pinsley’s workplace accused ICE of by no means totally executing a lease settlement for use of places of work — and that DHS purportedly occupied county-owned area for 38 months whereas not being talked about in its leasing settlement.
“Lehigh County should not be in business with an agency whose actions create fear instead of safety,” Pinsley mentioned. “We can give them a taste of their own medicine. We are going to deport ICE.”
Pinsley mentioned he requested county directors to inform Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “pack your masks, tear gas and pepper balls and hit the road.”
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The city of Allentown — Pennsylvania’s third-largest and the seat of Lehigh County — is seen from the Tilghman Street Bridge. (Charles Creitz/Fox News)
“This is not simply a financial matter, it is a question of values, accountability, and whether county government should lend legitimacy or resources to an agency whose conduct has caused widespread fear among working families,” Pinsley added.
Siegel doubled-down on that assertion, according to WFMZ-69 News: “I think their presence is a threat to public safety and public trust, and so yes, we will be issuing an eviction notice,” Siegel told the outlet, giving ICE 30 days to vacate.
“The department’s failure to pay rent, mixed with DHS’s nationwide status for recklessness, chaos, and public dysfunction, warrants ending any relationship with the County. We is not going to settle for their blood cash,” Siegel added on the presser, in accordance to City & State PA.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan informed the outlet that DHS has been useful regionally in human trafficking investigations, and that he would pay the federal company’s rent for them out of cash the county collects by way of drug asset forfeiture so as to preserve a partnership.
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“The only thing ICE has to do with this press conference today is to get headlines for the people holding that press conference,” mentioned the prosecutor, an elected Republican who was nonetheless censured by the county GOP for endorsing Siegel’s 2025 run.
Pinsley informed WFMZ that he’s grateful for Holihan’s work, and that his partnership with the feds can proceed as long as it’s not in a county-owned constructing.
“They don’t need to be in our building, especially if they’re not paying,” he informed the outlet.
Fox News Digital reached out to Lehigh County Government for additional remark from Siegel, in addition to the county’s Republicans and the Department of Homeland Security for remark.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a author and manufacturing assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and tradition for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story suggestions could be despatched to charles.creitz@fox.com.
