Pennsylvania Governor Celebrates Blocking ICE Detention Sites Amid Child Hit-and-Run by Undocumented Driver
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that two warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties will not become ICE detention centers, and days later a Venezuelan undocumented immigrant was charged after a hit-and-run injured a child in Charleroi.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro used his X account to declare that two warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties, purchased by the Department of Homeland Security, will not be turned into ICE detention centers, emphasizing risks to local health, safety and infrastructure. He framed the decision as protecting community residents. Within a week, a separate incident occurred in Charleroi when a speeding vehicle hit a child under 13; the driver, identified as Venezuelan illegal alien Yorgelis Alexandra Matos-Bravo, fled the scene but later returned and admitted responsibility.
Police have charged her with reckless driving, speeding, aggravated assault on a minor, and related offenses, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on her. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized sanctuary policies, suggesting the driver’s presence resulted from federal and Illinois immigration decisions. The juxtaposition of Shapiro’s anti-detention stance with the hit-and-run highlights ongoing political debate over immigration enforcement and public safety.
Why it matters
The incident ties state opposition to immigration detention with a crime by an undocumented driver, intensifying debate over border and sanctuary policies.
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