President Trump preparing to send ICE tactical teams to Philadelphia
Philadelphia is among five Democratic-led cities where President Trump is preparing to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactical teams, according to CBS News, a move that precipitated the mass protests in Los Angeles.
It's unclear whether the ICE Special Response Teams will conduct raids in Philadelphia and the four other cities.
SRTs are ICE uses for operations involving high-risk targets. The teams were used during some of the immigration raids in Los Angeles that saw dozens of people taken into custody, leading to mass protests in the city and Mr. Trump deploying both the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the southern California city, against objections from LA Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
"[Mr. Trump] can't make the Philadelphia police or the Philadelphia DA's office or the mayor help him enforce federal law because the 10th Amendment is very specific that he can't," District Attorney Larry Krasner said Thursday.
Peter Pedemonti with the New Sanctuary Movement, a Philadelphia nonprofit, says his group has seen a ramp-up of ICE activity over the last week, but he claimed for the most part, these actions aren't targeting hardened criminals.
"It's fathers being taken and leaving a kid behind. There are mothers being taken. These are families trying to make it," Pedemonti said. "These are the people you go to church with, who your kids go to school with, and so the crisis is not immigration. The crisis is ICE terrorizing people. The crisis is a president who is militarizing cities."
CBS News Philadelphia reached out to both ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for comment. We have yet to hear back.
In Philadelphia, 15 people were arrested during an anti-ICE protest Tuesday, which the police claimed drew 150 people.
Amanda Hedrick, supervisor of the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office's charging unit, said Thursday that two of the 15 arrests were submitted for charging, and the DA's office declined to bring charges after reviewing the evidence and consulting with the police department.
Hedrick said the rest of the people were arrested and released with civil violation notices.
"Those are essentially tickets that carry no criminal penalties, and those cases are not handled, prosecuted by the district attorney's office," Hedrick said.
Krasner said the two charges his office declined were for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. The DA stated that one incident was because police did not find sufficient evidence to support the charge, and the other was a case of misidentification.
"We asked for more information. Before we made our determination, they said to us, 'Do not charge these cases,'" Krasner said. "I have to commend them for that. I have to commend them for acting in good faith. For being honest brokers. For saying initially, we thought that these were crimes, but on closer inspection, looking at not only the evidence we presented to you but the additional evidence you requested, we are asking you to decline these charges. That is admirable. That is integrity. That is care."
Is Philadelphia a sanctuary city?
Philadelphia was recently among dozens of U.S. cities and counties named on a list of sanctuary jurisdictions released by the Department of Homeland Security. The list was removed from the DHS website shortly after.
A 2016 executive order signed by former Mayor Jim Kenney declared the city a sanctuary city. Last month, City Solicitor Renee Garcia rejected using the term "sanctuary city," claiming that "welcoming city" is a more suitable term because sanctuary has a negative connotation and could impact the city's federal funding.
Kenney's order, , states that Philadelphia does not comply with ICE detainer requests unless they're supported by a warrant and for a person being released after a conviction for a first- or second-degree felony.
Mayor Cherelle Parker has not been clear on Philadelphia's sanctuary city status. While she has not rescinded Kenney's order, critics say she also has not reasserted it.
On Thursday, local faith leaders called on city leaders to do more to protect immigrants, not cooperate with ICE and declare Philadelphia a sanctuary city, not just a welcoming city.
Philadelphia faith leaders say there's a critical difference because, they claim, a sanctuary city reaffirms the city's commitment to protecting everyone regardless of their immigration status, which includes preventing ICE arrests and protecting anti-ICE protesters.
"Reaffirm Philadelphia's sanctuary city status boldly, publicly and proudly. Denounce ICE and their illegal tactics, hiding behind masks, oftentimes appearing without warrants," Rev. Robin Hynicka of Arch Street United Methodist Church said. "End all collaboration between Philadelphia police and ICE. Do not allow anything to stand between our city and all of God's children who preside here."
According to Garcia, the policies protect immigrants from federal law enforcement, and immigration is still in effect, though faith leaders say that is not enough.
"The laws on paper mean nothing when in practice, ICE roams free, police cooperate and protesters are brutalized," Rev. Noé Gabriel López, director of Social Impact and Belonging, said. "You cannot call a city welcoming while you shackle its people."
Krasner encourages peaceful demonstrations at "No Kings" protest
Huge crowds are expected in Philadelphia and cities across the U.S. on Saturday as part of the "No Kings Day" protest.
Organizers believe the Philadelphia demonstration will be one of the largest in the nation. They said the city could see between 60,000 and 80,000 people rally against the Trump administration's deportation efforts and the military parade scheduled in Washington, D.C.
The Philadelphia Police Department said it has all hands on deck for Saturday with crowds expected at LOVE Park, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Arch Street starting around 10 a.m.
On Thursday, Krasner said he will uphold the Constitution while urging peaceful demonstrations.
"We are here to encourage everyone and anyone who wishes to have their voices heard in the No Kings protest," Krasner said. "We encourage you to come here. We encourage you to march. We encourage you to join in loud choruses and have your voice heard, and do everything else that Martin Luther King would have done."
The Philadelphia district attorney also issued a warning to federal law enforcement and protesters that his office will prosecute anyone who breaks the law.
"We will spend all day and all night protecting your rights to do that, but at the same time, if we have ICE agents or other law enforcement who go beyond what the law permits and commit crimes, they're going be held accountable, and if we have people who try to tuck in behind lawful, proper protest to commit crimes, they will be held accountable."
While the mayor's office wouldn't comment on specific details to handle the potentially large crowd, a source said their preparations are "substantial and significant."
"The Philadelphia Police Department will maintain public safety and order in our streets and our neighborhoods because that's their mission and that's their duty," Parker said.
Parker addressed the protests during a budget meeting at City Hall and said her team is coordinating with state officials.
"I use the Eagles' parade, I use the plane crash that occurred in Northeast Philadelphia, any scale that you see the city of Philadelphia hosting, we use an intergovernmental collaborative process so this standard operating procedure for us," Parker said.
