Northhampton News

Sen. Mario M. Scavello of Pennsylvania issued a statement in January calling for the rerouting of unauthorized immigrants to Delaware instead of his home state of Pennsylvania. 

His public call for action was in response to a scheduled flight that was supposed to arrive in Pennsylvania that was carrying a number of unauthorized immigrants. Scavello proposed that those individuals be dropped off in Delaware instead. 

He said that his statement would be accompanied by a proposed piece of legislation that would end the influx of unauthorized immigrants as well as place a ban on federal contractors transporting them. 

"The federal government has relocated an unknown number of illegal immigrants to states across the nation, including Pennsylvania, and at the same time they have failed to provide information that ensures the safety of Pennsylvania citizens," Scavello said. "The open-border policy of the president's administration has created a health crisis as well as a financial crisis, and states across the nation are being forced to pay for the reckless abandonment of the rule of law. What is most concerning is that Gov. Wolf has jeopardized the safety and security of Pennsylvania residents by enabling this and by not acting on this, he is aligning himself with such policies."

The cost to the taxpayer is just one concern for Scavello. He also said that dropping unauthorized immigrants into his state poses a huge risk of transmission of COVID-19. 

"The latest mass spread of COVID-19 is further exacerbated with the influx of illegal immigrants who are not being tested and quite apparently not vaccinated. It's unknown if there are any health-related exams or vetting of illegal immigrants," he said.

Scavello said the president should choose to relocate the immigrants in his home state of Delaware instead of thrusting the responsibility upon the citizens of Pennsylvania.