{"id":2647631,"date":"2026-08-21T05:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T09:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cognettis-past-opposition-to-police-cooperation-with-ice-resurfaces\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T05:45:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T09:45:40","slug":"cognettis-past-opposition-to-police-cooperation-with-ice-resurfaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cognettis-past-opposition-to-police-cooperation-with-ice-resurfaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Cognetti\u2019s past opposition to police cooperation with ICE resurfaces"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcognettis-past-opposition-to-police-cooperation-with-ice-resurfaces%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2647631&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Paige Cognetti, the Mayor of scranton, Pennsylvania, faces scrutiny over her past comments adn policies related to immigration and policing as she campaigns for congress against Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan. In 2020, she stated that scranton police were not involved in federal ICE raids and emphasized that the city was not a sanctuary city, although she supported being welcoming. Her campaign asserts she supports secure borders and lawful immigration enforcement, contrasting with Republicans who criticize her record and recent statements. The race is highly competitive, with bipartisan debates over her stance on police funding, diversity initiatives, and crime rates. Cognetti has also shifted focus to Bresnahan\u2019s conduct in Congress, notably regarding stock trading, amid a tight electoral race in a district rated as a &#8220;Toss Up&#8221; by political analysts.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4573438\/pennsylvania-8th-district-results-rob-bresnahan-paige-cognetti\/\">Paige Cognetti\u2019s<\/a> past comments supporting the separation of local police from federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/policy\/immigration\/\" data-type=\"category\" data-id=\"15\">immigration <\/a>enforcement are drawing new scrutiny as the Democrat campaigns for Congress on a message of political independence in one of the country\u2019s most competitive <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/house\/\">House<\/a> races.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cognetti, who is challenging freshman Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pennsylvania\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"629\">Pennsylvania\u2019s<\/a> 8th Congressional District, has repeatedly emphasized her willingness to break with her own party and revived the \u201cPaige Against the Machine\u201d message that helped propel her first campaign for mayor.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4694753\/paige-cognetti-ice-cooperation-comments-pennsylvania-house-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Paige Cognetti\u2019s past opposition to police cooperation with ICE resurfaces in Pennsylvania House race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4695608\/bernie-sanders-endorses-angie-nixon-florida-senate\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bernie Sanders wades into Florida Senate race with endorsement for Angie Nixon<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4695391\/mike-rogers-data-center-moratorium\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mike Rogers backs data center moratorium as some GOP candidates shift against AI<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Republicans are pointing to comments Cognetti made in 2020, during her first year as mayor, as evidence that her record is more liberal than the image she is presenting to voters.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During a June 2020 interview with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tv\/CBEiiBVn4gj\/?igsh\">Black Scranton<\/a>, Cognetti discussed the Scranton Police Department\u2019s relationship with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ice\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ice\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> and said city police were not involved in federal immigration raids.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t want to be a part of those,\u201d Cognetti said. \u201cThe Scranton Police Department is not going to be a part of an ICE raid, which is a good thing; we shouldn\u2019t be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cognetti also stressed at the time that Scranton was not a<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sanctuary-cities\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"882\"> sanctuary city<\/a>, while saying she was pleased it had developed a reputation as a welcoming community.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am glad that we have a reputation for being welcoming. I want to more and more be that city,\u201d Cognetti said. \u201cThere are ways we definitely, definitely need to make sure that we are more welcoming, but we are not technically a sanctuary city on the books.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conversation also turned to Scranton\u2019s decision not to participate in a federal program that would have more closely aligned local resources with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"339\">Trump administration\u2019s<\/a> immigration enforcement efforts. Cognetti initially said she could \u201cargue it both ways\u201d when asked which approach was preferable and noted that her administration had not revisited the decision during her first several months in office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But she later said her \u201cgut reaction\u201d was that she preferred Scranton not participate, citing concerns that involving local officers in federal immigration enforcement could undermine trust between police and residents.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI like that we\u2019re not opted in because I don\u2019t want the Scranton police officers to go do something in the community they don\u2019t believe in,\u201d Cognetti said. She added that she did not want police to \u201cbuild trust with our community and then completely break the trust because we\u2019re told by a federal agent what we have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cognetti\u2019s campaign pushed back against Republicans\u2019 characterization of her record, pointing to more recent comments in which the mayor has supported securing the border and said that local officials would not interfere with lawful federal immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPaige first ran for mayor as an independent outsider against a corrupt Democratic machine, so she\u2019s no stranger to calling out politicians from either party when they get it wrong,\u201d a Cognetti campaign spokesperson said, speaking to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cLike a lot of Northeastern Pennsylvanians, she has seen what the scourge of fentanyl has done to our community and has said that [former President Joe Biden] didn\u2019t do enough to secure the southern border.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The spokesperson added that Cognetti \u201csupports a secure border and removing violent criminals from our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The campaign also pointed to comments Cognetti <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.2822news.com\/news\/mayor-cognetti-shares-thoughts-on-possible-ice-raids\/\">made in January 2025<\/a>, when she reiterated that Scranton is not a sanctuary city and said her administration would not obstruct lawful ICE activity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s important to note too that Scranton is not a sanctuary city, Lackawanna County is not a sanctuary county, so if ICE comes in with lawful warrants, they will execute those warrants,\u201d Cognetti told local television station WBRE.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe would never stand in the way of the lawful procedures of the federal ICE agency,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cognetti has also criticized the Biden administration\u2019s handling of the southern border. In a January interview with the <em>Contrarian<\/em>, she called what happened at the border during the early years of the Biden administration \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.contrariannews.org\/p\/no-tolerance-for-corruption-in-public\">a huge misstep<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe secure border is a very, very important thing,\u201d Cognetti said. \u201cI think that was a huge misstep during the Biden administration that they let happen, what they let happen in the first couple of years. It was really terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her concerns about the border predate her congressional campaign. In 2021, Cognetti said the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wnep.com\/article\/news\/local\/lackawanna-county\/new-trends-in-opioid-crisis-alarming-lackawanna-county-officials\/523-8b60823e-8bf0-492a-b116-e6b944298304\">federal government needed<\/a> \u201cbetter control at our borders\u201d while discussing the flow of fentanyl into northeastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Bresnahan campaign argued that the 2020 ICE comments undercut the moderate image Cognetti has sought to project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPaige Cognetti is a raging, Harvard-educated liberal from Portland whose recent fake moderate act is nothing but a ploy to distract voters from the fact that up to this point, she has embraced and passed every left-wing litmus test, including non-cooperation with ICE, with flying colors,\u201d Bresnahan campaign spokeswoman Samantha Bullock said in a statement provided to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The dispute over immigration comes as Republicans have stepped up a broader effort to challenge Cognetti\u2019s record on policing and public safety. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) traveled to the district Wednesday to campaign alongside Bresnahan and local <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/police-and-law-enforcement\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"401\">law enforcement<\/a> officials, where he emphasized Republicans\u2019 support for police and vowed the party would continue to \u201cback the blue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bresnahan used the appearance to accuse Cognetti\u2019s administration of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/speaker-johnson-rep-bresnahan-clash-222232455.html\">cutting funding<\/a> available for police guns and ammunition. His campaign has also pointed to mandatory <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/pennsylvania-mayor-running-for-congress-tapped-professor-known-for-singling-out-white-students-to-train-cops-on-their-unconscious-bias\/\">unconscious-bias training<\/a> for Scranton police officers and Cognetti-backed diversity and equity initiatives as evidence of what it argues is a broader liberal record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broader budget picture is more complicated. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/scrantonpa.gov\/your-government\/ba\/city-operating-budgets\/\">Scranton records<\/a> show overall police spending increased 21.5% between 2020 and 2024, while funding for ammunition increased from $20,000 to $50,000 during Cognetti\u2019s first year in office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cognetti\u2019s campaign has also pointed to an analysis of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wvia.org\/news\/local\/2026-08-11\/republicans-blast-cognetti-on-violent-crime-in-scranton-but-analysis-shows-decline\">federal and state crime data<\/a> that found serious crime in Scranton declined 4.1% from the beginning of 2021 through 2025. The campaign says her administration has invested more than $5 million in police training, recruitment, and technology. Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll recently told local television station WVIA that he has had \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wvia.org\/news\/local\/2026-08-11\/republicans-blast-cognetti-on-violent-crime-in-scranton-but-analysis-shows-decline\">full support <\/a>from this administration at every turn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cognetti has sought to turn the race toward Bresnahan\u2019s record in Congress, making the incumbent\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3481765\/rob-bresnahan-stocks-restraints-house-ethics-scrutiny\/\">stock trading<\/a> a central part of her campaign against him. She has accused Bresnahan of failing to live up to earlier rhetoric supporting restrictions on lawmakers trading individual stocks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The race is expected to be among the most competitive House contests in the country as Democrats seek to retake the majority. The Cook Political Report <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/house\/race\/483946\">rates the contest<\/a> a \u201cToss Up\u201d and gives the northeastern Pennsylvania district a Republican partisan voting index of R+4.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bresnahan narrowly flipped the seat for Republicans in 2024, defeating longtime Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright with 50.8% of the vote. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, carried the district by 9 percentage points over former Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4690616\/pennsylvania-trump-voter-voting-democrat-midterms-new-ad\/\"><strong>THREE-TIME PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP VOTER SAYS HE\u2019S VOTING FOR DEMOCRATIC HOUSE CANDIDATE IN NEW AD<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democrats view the freshman Republican as one of their top targets as the battle for control of the House plays out in a small number of closely divided districts. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent polling has also pointed to a tight contest. A Democratic House Majority PAC poll released in June showed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/f\/?id=0000019f-01d0-d932-af9f-0fd6a7950000\">Cognetti leading Bresnahan<\/a> 47% to 45%, within the survey\u2019s margin of error.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cognetti\u2019s past on police and immigration under scrutiny<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2647632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-ao3pngd9q-1787244115166.jpg?1787232714&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[14436,84483,8364,3813,84482],"class_list":["post-2647631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-activism","tag-cognetti","tag-ice","tag-immigration","tag-police-cooperation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-collage-ao3pngd9q-1787244115166.jpg?1787232714&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2647631"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647635,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647631\/revisions\/2647635"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2647632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2647631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2647631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2647631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}