As public comment opened at Philadelphia City Council's hearing Wednesday morning, the leader of a longtime nonprofit for refugees stepped up to the microphone and posed a question: How many people in the chamber were descended from Native Americans? Four hands shot up.
"I would like the record to reflect that there are four descendants of Native Americans," Cathryn Miller-Wilson, executive director of HIAS Pennsylvania, said. "The rest of the room is under attack."
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Anxiety over the second Trump administration's immigration policies ran through the hourslong hearing, called to examine Philadelphia's "readiness and commitment to protecting" foreign-born residents, as well as the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups. At-Large Councilmember Rue Landau (D) called for the meeting in November after Donald Trump's victory.
In his first two days back in office, the president has declared there is an "invasion" at the U.S. southern border and ended birthright citizenship – which 22 state attorneys general have already challenged as unconstitutional. He has also promised to prosecute state and city law officials who do not comply with new federal immigration policies.
The City Council hearing reviewed existing protections in place in Philadelphia. A 2016 executive order directs local law enforcement to rebuff detainer requests from the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency, which, when honored, hold individuals about to be released from jails or prisons for another 48 hours. An even older executive order guarantees access to all city services regardless of immigration status, and forbids city employees from collecting that information in most cases. Renee Garcia, the city solicitor, affirmed these policies in the session.
But the advocacy groups that followed her insisted current guardrails were not enough. Erika Guadalupe Nuñez, the executive director of the Latino community organization Juntos, expressed particular disappointment with protections at public schools. Juntos worked with the School District of Philadelphia in 2021 to craft a sanctuary schools resolution, which instructs educators to forward all ICE requests to enter school buildings or communicate with students in class to the district's general counsel. The document included additional directives to create an emergency response plan and immigrant refugee toolkit, among other points. Nuñez, however, said that none of the six policies have been fully implemented.
"Schools are a pillar of our community," she continued. "Each and every one of them has the power to ensure no child faces the trauma of seeing a parent detained alone, and that every family has access to critical know your right resources and a pathway to connect with a diverse array of community organizations like Juntos."
Julio Rodriguez, the political director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, also called for the implementation of sanctuary school resolution in his testimony. He pressed council members to strengthen their 2023 medical deportation law, uphold the detainer request policy and provide $1.3 million in funding for the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project, as well.
Funding for advocacy groups is likely to be a topic of discussion at the next budget hearings. Keisha Hudson, with the Defender Association of Philadelphia, said the group's immigration unit would require another $800,000 to meet expected demands.
The School District of Philadelphia said Friday that it has "provided guidance to school leaders" on how to handle requests from immigration officials, and that district employees, contractors and volunteers are prohibited from asking for or sharing students' personal information. Superintendent Tony Watlington also reaffirmed the district's "commitment to creating safe, welcoming spaces for our students and families, in alignment with the U.S. Constitution, Pennsylvania State law, and in the spirit of the Board of Education’s Welcoming Sanctuary Schools Resolution" in a statement.
Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner had a direct response to Trump's promise to investigate and prosecute officials who do not comply with his immigration agenda.
"Arrests and prosecutions are based on probable cause, not on whether you agree or disagree with a political position," he said in a statement. "Unlike the current president, who this week pardoned or commuted sentences for over one thousand lawfully convicted and sentenced insurrectionists, my office and others will continue to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law."
Also on Wednesday, the Inquirer reported that Amy Eusebio, director of Philadelphia's Office of Immigrant Affairs, is resigning effective Friday and the city is looking to fill the position. Eusebio had been on the job since 2019.
This story was updated after it was published with a statement from the School District of Philadelphia.
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