PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A veto-proof majority of Philadelphia City Council has signed on to anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement legislation introduced at Thursday’s session.
Advocates packed the chambers and cheered loudly as council members Kendra Brooks and Rue Landau introduced seven “ICE OUT” bills that will, among other things, prohibit ICE agents from wearing masks, driving unmarked cars, staging on city property and failing to identify themselves.
The bills attracted a dozen cosponsors on council.
Undetermined is how the bills would be enforced if they pass.
“It would be up to the police department to enforce those laws,” Landau said.
When prompted with the question, “So you have two armed groups of people facing off against each other, how’s that going to work?” Landau said, “Well, it’s up to the administration to figure out all of the details of enforcement.”
Mayor Cherelle Parker has endorsed the executive orders but has shown she prefers non-confrontation on the issue with the Trump administration. Council President Kenyatta Johnson said he did not think that would be an issue.
“We’ll have hearings, and if there are any issues or concerns from the administration, hopefully they can be addressed, but overall, the majority of members of City Council support this legislation, so we see this legislation successfully voted out,” Kenyatta said.
Only Mike Driscoll and Republican Brian O’Neill didn’t sign on. Driscoll said he supports protections for immigrant families, but has concerns about the bills’ legality. Brooks said she’s ready to defend them.
“We have several lawyers to make sure we can fight this in court, if that’s what happens.”
In a statement, Parker said that "since day one of my administration, the public health and public safety of every Philadelphia resident have always been my number 1 priority. And that will never change.
We are aware of the potential challenges that we face, and we understand the public’s fear of the unknown, as it relates to federal policy associated with immigration.
We stand on every commitment that we have already made. As is our standard operating procedure with any bills introduced by City Council, I look forward to reviewing the legislation, which we just received yesterday, with our legislative experts in the Law Department.
We have a comprehensive approach to public safety, and we will always be prepared for any emergency, as we have consistently demonstrated and will continue to demonstrate.
I have a great deal of faith in our public safety leaders - our subject matter experts — who I asked to be a part of this team and we’re going to do our best to work in an intergovernmental fashion, along with City Council, to keep every Philadelphian safe.”