Philadelphia’s Sanctuary City Status Under Fire

Since President Trump’s reelection, concern over the status of immigrants, especially those from Central and South America, has been growing, particularly in sanctuary cities like Philadelphia. In his first few weeks in office, Trump passed several Executive Orders on immigration to change the definition of birthright citizenship, suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, and declare a national emergency at the U.S.’s southern border. Some of these executive orders also addressed sanctuary cities. A sanctuary city is a city that limits information shared with federal immigration law officers. Trump’s Executive Order “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which was signed on his first day in office, calls on the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to stop giving federal funding to sanctuary cities because they “seek to interfere with the lawful exercise of Federal law enforcement operations.” Trump has since sued Chicago and New York, both of which are sanctuary cities, but no such action has been taken against Philadelphia.

Sanctuary policies vary from city to city, with the commonality that undocumented immigrants are not reported except under special circumstances; for example, New York City does not report undocumented immigrants except in the case of a crime or with written permission from an immigrant. This allows undocumented immigrants to access city resources without fear of deportation; in particular, mayors of sanctuary cities often argue that not reporting undocumented immigrants contributes to public safety because the threat of deportation keeps immigrants from reporting crimes. Philadelphia has been a sanctuary city since 2016, just before Trump’s first term began. For Philadelphia, being a sanctuary city means that local police are not allowed to collaborate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Following the release of Trump’s Executive Order, local activists became concerned that Philadelphia would renounce its status as a sanctuary city. On December 10, 2024, immigrants' rights organizations including Juntos, Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, and New Sanctuary Movement marched to Philadelphia’s ICE Field Office, where they held a vigil for immigrants detained and deported by ICE. They called on Mayor Parker and other city officials to affirm that Philadelphia would remain a sanctuary city, strengthen sanctuary policies in the School District of Philadelphia, and end ICE detention centers in Pennsylvania. 

More recently, on February 3rd, businesses across the country, including Philadelphia, participated in a “Day Without Immigrants,” on which immigrants did not go to work, attend school, or spend any money on businesses to demonstrate their importance to the U.S. economy. This protest came following an ICE raid on January 28th at Complete Autowash in Northeast Philadelphia, in which seven immigrants were detained; the raid was conducted to examine allegations of labor exploitation. Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia acting Field Office Director Brian McShane said of the raid: “We were able to apprehend individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. These operations highlight the dedication and diligence of our officers and agents in protecting our communities from potential threats by enforcing immigration laws in accordance with U.S. laws and Department of Homeland Security policies.”

Within the school district, many students and their families are deeply concerned about provisions for undocumented immigrants in Philadelphia, and this topic was discussed at length in the Philadelphia school board meeting on February 23rd. Superintendent Tony Watlington reaffirmed the district’s Sanctuary Schools Resolution, which provides protections for immigrant students and protocol for interacting with ICE. However, a month before the meeting, many teachers noted they had never received training in these protocols. Watlington announced that he would be requiring all school district staff to take a 30-minute training session in this area the day before the meeting; however, speakers argued that this was not enough and called for “know your rights” training programs for families and more multilingual communication. Some are also calling for the expansion of the district’s newcomer program and the reinstatement of the Multilingual Assessment Center, which provides ESL, translation, and interpretation services. 

Immigrants’ rights organizations recommended three actions for undocumented immigrants. First, find an immigration lawyer and examine possible options for gaining documentation. Keep this lawyer’s contact information for use if detained by ICE or CBP (Customs and Border Protection). Second, If detained, sign no documents and answer no questions without an attorney present. Third, learn the rights available to undocumented immigrants in Philadelphia. Immigrants can refuse to open the door for ICE or CBP agents if they do not have a judicial warrant. A valid judicial warrant will have the signature of a judge, the name of the person to be detained, and the correct address. Once detained, they have the right to remain silent and to request an interpreter or translator. While undocumented immigrants’ options are very limited, knowing them can reduce the chances of deportation.