Pennsylvania Candidate Who Drove Families to ICE Detention Centers Gains Momentum in Primary Race

While ICE raids tear families apart across Pennsylvania, one Democratic congressional candidate actually showed up to help.

Justin Douglas, a Dauphin County Commissioner running for Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District, picked up endorsements Tuesday from the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance, One Pennsylvania, and CASA In Action—organizations representing immigrant communities and people of color who say Douglas has proven himself when it matters most.

Robin Gurung, a board member of API PA who works with Harrisburg's Bhutanese refugee community, told reporters that roughly 20 Bhutanese Pennsylvanians have been deported as Trump's immigration enforcement machine ramps up. When families needed someone to help them see their loved ones one last time before deportation, Douglas was the one who made it happen.

"It was Justin who drove all the way to Pike County Detention Center with families to let them meet with their loved ones before they would be separated forever," Gurung said. "It was Justin who coordinated with community members and community leaders to provide support to the impacted families."

That kind of direct action stands in stark contrast to the usual political playbook of thoughts, prayers, and press releases.

Douglas is running against Janelle Stelson, a former news anchor who lost to incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Perry by just over 5,100 votes in 2024. Since launching her 2026 campaign, Stelson has locked down the establishment lane with endorsements from Gov. Josh Shapiro, state Sen. Patty Kim, the Dauphin County Democratic Committee, and a parade of labor unions.

She also holds a crushing fundraising advantage. Federal Election Commission data shows Stelson ended 2025 with more than $1.5 million in cash on hand. Douglas had roughly $14,300.

But Douglas is unbothered. At Tuesday's press conference, he pointed to his 2023 county commissioner race, where he flipped a seat that had been held by Republicans for a century despite being outspent 20-to-1.

"I won. I flipped a seat that hasn't been flipped for 100 years in Dauphin County," Douglas said. "No one else had been able to do it before, and we did it by mobilizing people just like this."

Douglas is now calling for debates with Stelson ahead of the May 19 primary. So far, she has declined.

"Janelle is not ignoring me. She's ignoring the voters," Douglas said. "Voters deserve to hear, side by side, my policies and her policies. She refuses to sit with us, to share her ideas, to take questions in a way that might have to give an account for her policies last time."

A Stelson spokesperson said the candidate is "focused on doing her job—which is beating Congressman Perry and delivering for the people of Central Pennsylvania—so she will not participate in any effort that distracts from that."

Translation: Why risk a debate when you have the money and the establishment endorsements locked down?

Tyler Hartl, an organizer with One Pennsylvania, said his group will mobilize volunteers, create social media content, and organize within the Black community to boost Douglas's campaign. The endorsements reflect a broader frustration among grassroots organizers with Democratic candidates who talk about justice but don't show up when communities are under attack.

Douglas campaigned Tuesday on expanding ballot drop boxes, advocating for prison inmates, supporting universal health care, and banning members of Congress from trading stocks. He framed his candidacy as a challenge to the same political insiders who have failed to deliver structural change.

"I know how hard it is to get by, and I know that decisions made in Washington affect everyday Americans right here in Pennsylvania's 10th district," Douglas said. "Until we send principled leaders there who know what it's like, we're going to keep getting the same Band-Aid fixes to gaping wounds in our economy."

The 10th District primary will test whether Democratic voters reward a candidate who drove families to detention centers or one who collected endorsements from the party establishment. The answer will say a lot about what kind of opposition Democrats plan to mount against Trump's second-term abuses.