Mayor Parker's administration says Philly's sanctuary city policy remains despite threats from Trump

Fallon Roth and Anna Orso, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Jan 22, 2025

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PHILADELPHIA — A top lawyer from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration said Wednesday that an executive order on Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city remains in place despite threats from President Donald Trump to punish cities that don’t assist in a planned crackdown on undocumented immigrants.

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

“This is what is in place,” Garcia said in describing city’s existing policy, adding: “I cannot speak today as to what changes will be made.”

Garcia testified Wednesday to members of a City Council committee about Philadelphia’s preparedness for the Trump administration, which was called by Councilmember Rue Landau and comes two days after the president’s swearing-in and amid looming threats of raids in major cities by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hours before the hearing, the Trump administration directed federal prosecutors to investigate local officials who don’t cooperate with his plans for mass deportation.

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

Sanctuary cities, though their exact definition varies, are places that deliberately limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. In Philadelphia, officials refuse to comply with requests from ICE to detain prisoners based on their immigration status unless federal authorities submit a warrant signed by a judge.

The city also does not ask for immigration status from individuals to access city services, unless required by the service.

Garcia said those practices that were in place under past mayors remain and that the Parker administration is reviewing Trump’s directives, as well as the flurry of executive actions he took hours into his second term, including an order to revoke the constitutionally enshrined birthright citizenship.

She said the mayor is “laser-focused on safer, cleaner, greener, access to economic opportunity for all, she has made clear that that is for everybody within the city’s borders, whether they are descendants of William Penn or stopping by to see the Liberty Bell.”

But some Council members on the committee — all of whom are Democrats or members of the progressive Working Families Party — indicated they wanted to hear more from the administration on its plan to protect immigrants and other marginalized groups.

“My biggest concern is our own preparedness, particularly given the lack of information we’ve heard coming from the administration regarding their approach to Trump,” said Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who also noted that key administrative positions, including the director of the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, are vacant.

Other representatives from top agencies said they have measures in place to combat impending Trump-era immigration policies and that they’re working to bolster those services.

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

“It will be a centralized model which would streamline services, prevent duplication, and improve efficiency and outcomes for our clients,” Hudson said.

Bob Listenbee, first assistant district attorney, said Trump’s mass deportation policies are “anti-public safety and they are also anti-family.” He said the District Attorney’s Office believes undocumented immigrants who commit crimes in Philadelphia should be prosecuted in the city.

“We are going to do everything we can to make sure that these non-citizen immigrants who are charged with serious violent crimes are prosecuted here in the city and county of Philadelphia,” he said.

Separately on Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat and longtime Trump critic, said his office would not comply with Trump administration immigration directives that might cause them to break the law. He said he wouldn’t be swayed by threats of consequences for local officials.

Council also heard from dozens of advocates for immigrants, women, and LGBTQ people about the potential impacts of expected Trump administration policy.

Harper Seldin, a staff attorney at the LGBTQ & HIV Project and the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said it’s crucial for the city to be united to push back against “all efforts to push people into the shadows because of who they are, who they love, or where they’re from.”

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