Despite Trump’s threats, Philadelphia remains a sanctuary city

A top lawyer for Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration said Wednesday that the executive order regarding Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city remains in effect despite threats from President Donald Trump will punish cities that do not support in the planned crackdown on illegal immigrants.

But the official, city attorney Renee Garcia, said during a City Council hearing that the Parker administration has not yet determined whether immigrants in the city need additional protections.

“That’s the way it is,” Garcia described the city’s current policy, adding, “I can’t talk today about what changes will be made.”

On Wednesday, Garcia testified before City Council committee members about Philadelphia’s readiness to welcome the Trump administration during a hearing called by Councilmember Rue Landau, which took place two days after the president’s inauguration and amid the threat of U.S. incursions into major cities Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hours before the hearing, the Trump administration directed federal prosecutors to investigate local officials who do not cooperate with Trump’s plans for mass deportations.

Parker, a Democrat, has faced pressure from activists to double down on the city’s status, but since his victory in November’s election he has largely avoided attacking Trump directly.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is among the Democrats trying to coexist with Trump

Sanctuary cities, although their precise definition varies, are places that intentionally limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. In Philadelphia, officials refuse to comply with ICE requests to hold detainees because of their immigration status unless federal authorities produce an order signed by a judge.

The city also does not require individuals to obtain immigration status to access city services unless the services require it.

Garcia said practices used under previous mayors remain and that Parker’s administration is reviewing Trump’s directives as well as a series of executive actions he took hours into his second term, including ordering the revoking of constitutionally guaranteed birthright citizenship.

She said the mayor has a “laser focus on safer, cleaner and greener access to economic opportunity for all.” “She made it clear that this applies to all persons within the city limits, whether they are descendants of William Penn or stopping to see the Liberty Bell.”

However, some Council members on the committee – all of whom are Democrats or members of the progressive Working Families Party – have indicated they want to hear more from the administration about its plan to protect immigrants and other marginalized groups.

“My biggest concern is our own readiness, especially given the lack of information we’ve heard from the administration about its approach to Trump,” said council member Kendra Brooks, who noted that key administration positions, including director of the Office of LGBTQ Immigration Affairs and Director of the Office of Immigration, there are vacancies.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia’s immigration director resigns from Trump administration

Other top agency officials said they have resources in place to combat looming Trump-era immigration policies and that they are working to strengthen those services.

Keisha Hudson, chief defense attorney for the Philadelphia Public Defenders Association, said public defenders plan to create the city’s first “immigrant defense unit” with a proposed staff of 13 people. Hudson said the association will ask the city for an additional $800,000 this spring to fund the unit.

“This will be a centralized model that will streamline services, prevent duplication of effort, and improve efficiency and outcomes for our customers,” Hudson said.

Bob Listenbee, first assistant district attorney, said Trump’s mass deportation policy is “anti-public safety and it’s also anti-family.” He said the district attorney’s office believes that undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in Philadelphia should be prosecuted in that city.

“We will do everything in our power to ensure that these non-citizen immigrants charged with serious violent crimes are prosecuted here in the city and county of Philadelphia,” he said.

On Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat and longtime Trump critic, said employees in his office would not follow Trump administration immigration directives that could cause them to break the law. He announced that they would not give in to threats of consequences for local officials.

» READ MORE: Philadelphia prosecutor Larry Krasner says he won’t break the law over Trump’s immigration crackdown

The council also heard from dozens of immigrant, women and LGBTQ advocates on the potential impacts of the Trump administration’s expected policies.

Harper Seldin, a staff attorney with the LGBTQ & HIV Project and the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said it was crucial for the city to unite to oppose “any effort to push people into the shadows because of who they are, who they love, or where they come from.”

“An attack on one group is an attack on all of us,” Seldin said.

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