Defending Immigrant Communities in the Age of Trump 2.0

January 31, 2025/Brian Mazelis

In the hours and days following his inauguration, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders on a range of topics, with a predicted focus on immigration. In less than a week’s time, the Trump administration has attacked asylum protections for refugees and moved to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants in the US. He has also given Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) free rein to conduct raids in “sensitive locations” such as churches, hospitals, and schools. Additionally, Congress passed the Laken Riley Act, which will make it easier for ICE to detain and deport immigrants for minor infractions. All of this is in an effort to terrorize immigrant communities and send a warning to those who plan to defend them.

Since winning the election in November, Trump has promised mass deportations on day one of his administration. Philadelphia, which is home to roughly 50,000 undocumented immigrants, is a sanctuary city. This designation, in theory, prevents city police officers from carrying out the work of federal immigration agents and is meant to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. The important thing to note about sanctuary cities, however, is that they are only sanctuaries if local officials uphold that status. Mayors Brandon Johnson of Chicago and Todd Garcia of San Diego, two cities Trump has identified as early targets for ICE raids, have already vowed to defend their undocumented population. This is clearly frustrating to the current administration as evidenced by Border Czar Tom Homan’s statements on CNN this week, lamenting that Chicago is “well-educated,” so more people know their rights, making illegal ICE raids more difficult to carry out.

Mayor Cherelle Parker, on the other hand, has avoided the topic. A representative from her office indicated that there are no plans to remove Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city, but was unable to speak to what additional protections will be put in place. If Mayor Parker is serious about defending Philly’s undocumented population, this would be a contradiction of her previous pledge to “come together [with President Trump] to try to find solutions to our problems.” It also contradicts her statement at a press conference on January 29 that ICE was “empowered by their federal autonomy” to carry out a raid on a car wash in North Philly the day prior.

Mayors Muriel Bowser of Washington DC and Eric Adams of New York City, both elected Democrats, have also vowed to collaborate with the new administration in the name of “political unity.” Justin Bibb, the recently appointed president of the Democratic Mayors Association, said in an interview, “I think the American people are tired of the resistance. They are tired of the bickering between Democrats and Republicans.” On the contrary, Philadelphians demand leaders who are not afraid to stand up to the far-right agenda that is being put forth in our communities.

A number of immigrant rights organizations have called on Mayor Parker to reaffirm Philadelphia’s status as a sanctuary city, but the calls seem to be falling on deaf ears in City Hall. Every effort should be made to engage with Mayor Parker’s office in asking her to show courage on this issue, but that’s not enough. These raids could continue taking place in the coming days or weeks, and we must be prepared for them to occur without any pushback from our local government.

That means the responsibility is on us to keep our immigrant neighbors safe, and everyone regardless of status should know their rights. You don’t have to answer the door for ICE. If they don’t have a proper warrant signed by a judge, they cannot enter the property. They may have an “administrative warrant,” but this is not the same thing and does not allow them access to your property. If you see ICE trying to enter somebody’s property, you have the right to ask them for their paperwork, and ask them to leave if they don’t have it, which they rarely do. We have more to gain in this moment by uplifting, educating, and defending one another than we do by succumbing to the division that the billionaires in the White House want to sow.

By blaming immigrants for the problems working Americans face, Trump is simply deflecting the focus from his own crimes. Immigrants are not responsible for the inflation or stagnant wages in this country – billionaires are! Immigrants are not responsible for the fact that you don’t have healthcare – billionaires are! Immigrants aren’t the ones stripping your rights away – billionaires are! But it is easier for Trump to scapegoat immigrants for his crimes against the working class than it is to own up to them himself.