PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — About 100 protesters marched through South Philadelphia Monday evening to protest the federal government’s crackdown on immigration.
They gathered at Ninth Street and Washington Avenue around 5 p.m., waving flags, holding signs and chanting in unison. The action came on the same day that many businesses across the country closed their doors in solidarity with the “Day Without Immigrants” protest, highlighting the importance of immigrants in the workplace.
“Immigrants, we do everything,” said Maria Mendez, a youth organizer at Juntos, a South Philly immigrant advocacy nonprofit, “especially the hard labor that people don’t want to do.”
Trump’s administration is looking to deliver on his campaign promise of mass deportations. From January to September 2024, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement averaged about 311 daily arrests. Just last week, the agency averaged more than 977.
On of those raids happened last week in Juniata Park, where ICE officers arrested seven workers at a car wash.
“People are hurt, people are angry, people feel upset, betrayed,” said Mendez. “But it has led to a lot of passion.”
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Third District Councilmember Jamie Gauthier said mass deportations would have a disastrous effect on Philly’s communities.
“It would destabilize our neighborhoods, destabilize our families, destabilize our economy,” she said. “We have to stand up for people and make sure they have the information and the resources they need in this moment. That is our responsibility as city government.”
She said the city should be putting resources toward educating immigrants on their rights.
“We should be investing in pro bono legal services to make sure as many immigrants as possible across our city have legal protection so they can stand up for themselves,” she added.