Dozens Of Construction Workers Detained By Immigration Agents While Going To Work In Pennsylvania

Dozens of construction workers were detained by immigration agents while heading to the workplace in Pennsylvania, according to a new report.

The operations took place on Tuesday, with some workers being sent to a processing center in Moshannon Valley, Jazmine Rivera, executive director of Pennsylvania's Immigration Coalition said in a statement, according to EFE.

Overall, 25 people were arrested in two separate events. They were helping build Mount Nittany hospital. The statement detailed that workers suspected they were being targeted by ICE agents, with some surveilling their workplace and following them after.

"The Centre County community, including the workers visiting the whole region, as well as Virginia and Maryland, are now terrified and fear for their safety," Rivera added.

"It is our responsibility to defend human rights and guarantee that all people are treated with dignity and respect. Immigrants, same as all residents, deserve to leave without fear of discrimination or exclusion."

The incident comes as the Trump administration continues to expand its immigration crackdown, especially after the passage of the "One Big Beautiful Bill," which largely expanded funding for enforcement operations.

The administration is reportedly planning a major expansion of U.S. immigration detention capacity, aiming to increase the number of beds to more than 107,000 by January of next year, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) planning document obtained by The Washington Post.

The roadmap outlines the opening or expansion of 125 facilities this year, including large-scale "mega-detention" centers and temporary "soft-sided" structures that can be erected in weeks.

The expansion would extend ICE's reach into new states, with 19 projected to have at least 1,000 beds by year-end, up from 14 currently, the report detailed. Texas, Louisiana, California, and Georgia would remain the states with the highest concentration of detention facilities, while states like Oklahoma, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Tennessee are slated for new facilities.

Plans include at least three family detention centers totaling 5,700 beds, a substantial increase over the current capacity of about 2,000 beds at Dilley, Texas. ICE officials say these expansions comply with federal standards for child treatment, though advocacy groups consulted by The Washington Post report ongoing issues such as trauma and malnutrition among detained children.

Human rights concerns have, however, intensified alongside the expansion in recent weeks. A report from Senator Jon Ossoff's office (D-Ga.) documented 510 credible reports of abuse in ICE detention facilities, including cases of physical and sexual abuse, mistreatment of pregnant women, and harm to children. Instances included pregnant women left without medical attention and detainees subjected to physical violence.