Southwest Philly won’t be intimidated by Trump’s immigration policies

May 5, 2025/Brian Mazelis

Southwest Philadelphia is widely known as a tight-knit immigrant hub – as it should be – but this wasn’t always the case. In the 1980’s, Southwest neighborhoods were dealing with decades of institutional neglect, leading to low housing costs and a general lack of interest in the blighted area. Some of the only people who saw potential in the neighborhood were students of African descent with few affordable options in the city.

Decades later, Southwest has seen a complete transformation of its demographic makeup. Between 2017 and 2022, the foreign-born population in the Paschall-Elmwood neighborhood increased by 48%, and immigrants make up about a quarter of the community today. The main commercial corridor on Woodland Avenue is filled with immigrant-owned businesses selling foods and products from every corner of the globe. These developments have brought significant growth to the neighborhood over the years.

Now, we are approaching the 100th day of Trump’s second presidency, and his administration has made their aspirations regarding immigration in this country abundantly clear. With goals to deport more people than any previous president, Trump has directed DHS and ICE to escalate their tactics, resulting in unprecedented methods of kidnapping people off the street and in their homes, regardless of their legal status in the country.

Hundreds of international students across the country have had their visas revoked with no due process, and green card holders are being detained for no good reason. Trump and his cronies claim that these are all violent criminals who pose a national security threat, but Southwest Philly knows that immigrants from all parts of the world are largely working class people who want a decent quality of life for their families.

Although residents don’t fall for the propaganda, these draconian actions have had a significant impact on vulnerable communities. Walking down Woodland Avenue, neighbors have noticed a sharp decline of people who are out and about. 

“It’s sad,” said one shopper who wanted to remain anonymous. “People are scared because they don’t know what’s going to happen, so they stay inside.” This is in line with a general trend around the country of at-risk individuals exercising an abundance of caution when it comes to leaving their homes. It is a logical result of our government using fear and intimidation to paralyze the masses of people, but it only represents a small part of the full picture.

For instance, a number of businesses have begun displaying “Don’t Open For ICE” posters on their storefronts and Know Your Rights training sessions in the area have been gaining traction. This is exactly the type of grassroots organizing that has been the most effective way for communities to defend themselves against the threats of inhumane deportation efforts being witnessed across the country. 

In places from Denver, CO to Providence, RI, people are taking matters into their own hands by forming networks based in the defense of their communities. These networks organize rapid response calls when ICE shows up for a raid, and by attracting attention to their oftentimes illegal practices, are able to successfully defend their neighbors from being detained. 

The potential for this type of activity in Philadelphia is immense, but it won’t come out of thin air. When communities take the opportunity to collectively decide what it means to defend each other, we are able to reveal the cowardice of the forces who wish to tear us apart.