Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro launched the tour for his upcoming memoir at the Central Parkway Library on Saturday — as dozens of protesters gathered outside to rally against federal immigration enforcement tactics.
While promoting the memoir, set to release on Jan. 27, Shapiro addressed Pennsylvania’s readiness to handle U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations across the state. Outside the library, protesters called on Shapiro to refuse cooperation with ICE.
The event — moderated by Reverend Marshall Mitchell — took place amid heightened concerns regarding the deployment of ICE in American cities. Protests have occurred continuously in Minneapolis since an ICE agent shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Good on Jan. 7.
Just hours before Shapiro’s book event, a Customs and Border Patrol agent shot and killed local resident and intensive-care nurse Alex Pretti as demonstrations against immigration enforcement officials continued across the city.
When asked about ICE presence in cities across the United States, Shapiro condemned the “lawlessness” exhibited by federal agents who “violate people’s constitutional rights.”
“We do not do the work that ICE purports to want to do to enforce immigration laws here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “Our state police doesn’t ask for people’s status, and we do not share any of that information with the federal government.”
Shapiro also assured the audience that his administration has worked with partners at the local and federal levels to “keep those bonds of trust that exist in the community between police and the community.”
Outside of the library, protestors repeatedly called on the governor to “stop working with ICE,” referencing a 2019 policy that requires Pennsylvania state police officers to provide information on suspected undocumented immigrants to federal immigration officers.
One protestor denounced Shapiro for “hiding” in the library, claiming that he “was too scared to face the people who voted for [him].”
While taking audience questions after the event, Shapiro was asked about the likelihood that 1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump would disrupt the 2026 midterm elections. Shapiro answered that he “fully expect[s]” Trump to undermine the elections.
“In the 2020 election, Donald Trump lost Pennsylvania by 80,000 plus votes,” Shapiro said. “I was the attorney general at the time, and he sued us. He and his enablers sued us 43 different times to try and take away your votes, to try and undermine your voice.
Shapiro added that the risk Trump and his supporters impose “may not just be in a courtroom, but may involve troops in our communities,” along with “other forces that are trying to take away your right to vote.”
Despite concerns about the Trump administration, Shapiro urged the Democratic Party to shift their messaging to focus on providing for their constituents.
“I think we can’t be a party that is defined by being negative on Donald Trump all the time,” Shapiro said. “If you’re going to be a political party, you’ve got to be defined by what you’re doing to help make people’s lives better.”
When asked about the importance of economic expansion and opportunity, Shapiro called economic divides one of the primary factors of animosity in America.
“That’s what I’m working on every day as governor,” Shapiro said. “We need more of that in our politics. We’re trying to bring people together, less tearing them apart and lifting us up economically.”
Shapiro also spoke about his choice to be more open about his faith following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, referencing his visit to Penn Hillel to light Hanukkah candles in 2023. Shapiro felt that many Jewish college students were scared to celebrate Hanukkah on campus at the time, and explained that he visited Penn to support them.
“That’s what I mean about being more purposeful about faith," Shapiro said. "Be more open. Use your faith to offer comfort to others.”
Staff reporter Ishani Modi covers state and local politics and can be reached at modi@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies biochemistry.
