Protesters gathered near the Federal Detention Center, at Seventh and Arch streets, late Tuesday afternoon to demand the release of an asylum seeker.
Philly activists say Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detained Edwin Nicolas Sanches Pachon at a routine check-in appointment with the agency Monday. The 23-year-old Colombian immigrant has resided in the U.S. since 2022 – and, his supporters say, complied with every step in the asylum application process.
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"Edwin showed up in good faith for a check-in and was ambushed with handcuffs," Patty Torres, co-director of Make the Road PA, said in a statement. "We demand his immediate release and call out ICE for what it is: a rogue agency tearing families apart, upending the lives of innocent, hard-working immigrants who the Trump administration deems an enemy or a security threat."
Make the Road PA, a nonprofit that supports Latinx and immigrant communities, received a call from Pachon's friend Tuesday morning asking for help. Organizers say he is being held at the Federal Detention Center, which has been housing ICE detainees amid the Trump administration's mass deportation push.
ICE would not immediately confirm if Pachon was in custody, or comment on his case.
About two dozen supporters demonstrated across the street from the Federal Detention Center around 4 p.m. Tuesday, shouting, "Free them all!" and "Si, se puede," the longtime rallying cry of Chicana labor leader Dolores Huerta. (It roughly translates to "Yes, it can be done.") As the crowd chanted, noises appeared to emanate from inside the detention center.
"We're here for you!" Emily Lua-Lua, lead Philadelphia organizer for Make the Road PA, yelled in response.
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