President Donald Trump signed an govt order on April 28, 2025, that calls for the U.S. legal professional basic, in coordination with the secretary of Place of origin Safety, submit an inventory of towns and states that impede the enforcement of federal immigration rules, with the aim of shielding American citizens from “criminal aliens.”
Philadelphia will most probably finally end up at the listing.
Philadelphia is what’s referred to as a sanctuary town. Whilst the time period has no fastened definition, it generally refers to a town that has declared its refusal to cooperate – and even works at odds – with federal immigration enforcement.
As a regulation professor at Temple College in Philadelphia, the place I supervise scholars who constitute low-wage immigrant staff, I do know that sanctuary insurance policies can gradual the federal immigration enforcement device.
However the key is that federal immigration officials – generally U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – can nonetheless perform deportations in a sanctuary town.
Additional, there is not any query that localities similar to Philadelphia can legally come to a decision to not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Towns, like states, have constitutional protections in opposition to being pressured to manage or put in force federal systems. The Trump management can’t drive any state or native authentic to help in implementing federal immigration regulation.
What continues to be observed is what, if any, motion the management will take in opposition to the ones jurisdictions that finally end up on their listing of sanctuary towns.
Philly’s sanctuary insurance policies
My paintings has concerned researching sanctuary insurance policies in addition to how frequently ICE depends upon native regulation enforcement to lend a hand determine and switch over immigrants.
Philadelphia’s more than a few sanctuary insurance policies ruin that connection and go away ICE to its personal units. In addition they sign to immigrants that town isn’t within the industry of federal immigration enforcement. Analysis presentations this is helping immigrants really feel more secure to get admission to public advantages and services and products similar to getting care at a neighborhood well being middle or calling the police with out worry of immigration penalties.
Protestors take part in an ‘Abolish ICE’ march via downtown Philadelphia in 2018.
Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto by the use of Getty Pictures
Philadelphia’s maximum notable sanctuary coverage, an govt order signed through then-Mayor Jim Kenney in January 2016, is its refusal to have its jails honor ICE detainers or requests for liberate dates. An ICE detainer is a voluntary request asking native officers to carry an immigrant, who’s another way going to be launched, for an extra 48 hours so ICE can pick out them up.
Failing to honor ICE detainers disrupts the deportation pipeline and makes ICE’s task harder.
Every other key Philadelphia sanctuary coverage dates again to 2009 and was once signed through then-Mayor Michael Nutter. It makes transparent that town officers don’t police immigration. Now not simplest are all town staff – together with police, firefighters and behavioral well being staff – prohibited from asking about immigration standing in maximum eventualities, however police are in particular directed to not forestall, arrest or detain an individual “solely because of perceived immigration status.”
But there is not any technique to put in force those sanctuary insurance policies. Underneath those rules, town officers who violate them don’t face penalties. Compliance depends upon a dedication from officers who imagine that following those insurance policies is the fitting factor to do.
Philadelphia has additionally acted in alternative ways to wreck the hyperlink between town and immigration enforcement.
Since 2017, Philadelphia jails have had a protocol that daunts ICE from interviewing immigrants held in prison. Previous to offering ICE with get admission to to such people, the jails should first ship a consent shape to an immigrant to tell them in their proper to say no an ICE interview.
In 2018, Philadelphia ended ICE’s get admission to to town’s initial arraignment reporting device utilized by the Philadelphia Police Division and district legal professional’s place of job. The town stated it terminated its database-sharing contract with ICE given the “unacceptable” means the company used the device, which “could result in immigration enforcement action against Philadelphians who haven’t been arrested, accused of, or convicted of any crime.”
Whilst those insurance policies can’t give protection to Philadelphia citizens who’ve been arrested through ICE, the loss of lend a hand of native officers will make it harder for the management to ship on its promise to deport a document choice of immigrants.
ICE raided a automotive wash and arrested seven other folks in Philadelphia on Jan. 28, 2025.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by the use of Getty Pictures
Sanctuary campuses and church buildings
Except town itself, different private and non-private establishments inside of Philadelphia have created sanctuary areas.
In June 2021, the Faculty Board of Philadelphia followed a sanctuary answer as a part of an effort to create welcoming faculties for immigrant kids. In January 2025, the Philadelphia Faculty District reaffirmed its dedication.
Underneath the primary Trump presidency, spiritual establishments, such because the Germantown Mennonite Church in Northwest Philly and the Tabernacle United Church in West Philly, equipped sanctuary within their church buildings to immigrants who had won ultimate orders of deportation from ICE.
The College of Pennsylvania declared itself a sanctuary campus in 2016 however is these days shying clear of that label whilst college, group of workers and scholars call for that the college explain its insurance policies on immigration enforcement.
Since 2011, ICE has had a “sensitive locations” memo that disfavors however does no longer completely limit immigration enforcement in puts of worship, in addition to hospitals and faculties. The Biden management bolstered the “sensitive locations” memo in 2021. Trump rescinded the memo right through his first month in place of job.
Activists need Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker to decide to protecting Philadelphia’s sanctuary insurance policies.
AP Photograph/Matt Rourke
Retaliation in opposition to sanctuary towns
From the point of view of the Trump management, state and native officers who defy the enforcement of immigration regulation are engaged in “a lawless insurrection” that creates public protection and nationwide safety dangers.
Regardless of the management’s robust rhetoric concerning the “criminal alien,” 46% of other folks these days held in immigration detention don’t have any felony document, in line with the Transactional Information Get right of entry to Clearinghouse at Syracuse College. Many others have minor offenses, together with site visitors violations.
The manager order vows to terminate federal grants and pursue all enforcement measures to deliver such jurisdictions “into compliance with the laws of the United States.”
Such terminations is probably not prison.
On April 24, 2025, a federal pass judgement on enjoined language in an previous govt order directing the federal government to do so in opposition to sanctuary towns to make certain that they don’t obtain get admission to to federal finances.
Previous circumstances to tug federal investment from Philadelphia as a result of its sanctuary town standing have additionally failed. The primary Trump management was once unsuccessful at terminating a US$1 million federal grant to Philadelphia after town sued and gained in federal courtroom in 2017.
The manager order additionally makes legally questionable claims that state and native officers who practice their sanctuary insurance policies are attractive in illegal activity, such because the obstruction of justice, illegal harboring or actions that violate federal RICO regulation. Regardless, the management might nonetheless make a choice to pursue high-profile prosecutions of state and native officers.
The government’s efforts to punish sanctuary towns will no doubt be mired in prison demanding situations around the nation. But Philadelphia officers should nonetheless come to a decision on this second whether or not to face robust with town’s present sanctuary insurance policies. Town Council member Rue Landau has been outspoken about keeping up Philadelphia’s sanctuary standing to make certain that public assets won’t ever be used to reinforce federal deportation efforts. However Mayor Cherelle Parker has no longer dedicated to strengthening and even making sure town’s sanctuary protections.
In step with The Philadelphia Inquirer, the similar day Trump signed the manager order, Parker reiterated that Philadelphia nonetheless operates below its 2016 sanctuary coverage. On the other hand, she didn’t use the time period “sanctuary city,” the Inquirer famous, and he or she “said she would not comment in more detail until Trump makes concrete moves that affect Philadelphia.”
That is an up to date model of a tale initially revealed on December 18, 2024.
