Philly immigrant communities and allies brace for ICE workplace raids

PHILADELPHIA — José has shuttered his store so many times in the last three months amid rumors that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was poised to strike the venerable Italian Market, he has lost count.

The undocumented 45-year-old business owner, who declined to provide a last name out of fear of deportation, operated out of an abundance of caution. But refusing to feel paralyzed any longer, he opened his doors Monday even as many neighboring businesses remained closed amid the latest warnings of raids.

“My youngest is 17. Me and my wife are scared of being taken away by immigration, because what are we going to do?” José said. “But I have to work. I have bills to pay, rent, people to feed. I can’t keep shutting down every single time.”

Immigrant communities across the Philadelphia region remain on edge and fearful as ICE enters a new stage of enforcement, now targeting workplaces.

Yet small acts of resistance are spreading, some driven by necessity, others inspired by the broad resistance to ICE that is playing out on the streets of Los Angeles.

Immigration advocates and supporters, meanwhile, are bracing themselves and doubling down on their commitment to those communities, as White House border czar Tom Homan promises to “flood the zone.”

“You’re going to see more work site enforcement than you’ve ever seen in the history of this nation,” Homan vowed at the end of May, issuing a warning to so-called sanctuary cities.

Philadelphia, along with Chester, Montgomery, and Delaware Counties, was included in a wide-ranging list of 11 Pennsylvania counties and five cities that President Donald Trump’s administration has accused of failing to enforce federal immigration laws and therefore are at risk of losing federal funding.

Though the list was later removed, Trump administration officials have said it continues to be used, though just how remains unclear. Immigration advocates in counties called out by the administration have reported upticks in enforcement, including Norristown, Montgomery County’s seat, which saw more than 20 people taken into custody by ICE in the weeks that followed Homan’s remarks.

Workplace arrests have also expanded in Pennsylvania beyond the administration’s sanctuary jurisdiction list. The day after Homan’s warning, three employees in a Wayne County restaurant were detained, according to local businesses there. Last week, ICE announced it had arrested four undocumented immigrants working at a manufacturing business in Luzerne County. And ICE confirmed it had arrested 17 people for immigration violations at a building restoration project in Bethlehem on Tuesday.

Amid real arrests, undocumented immigrants are also dealing with people who are looking to take advantage of the moment’s uncertainty.

A man wearing a black tactical vest that read “Security Enforcement Agent,” black sunglasses, and a black baseball cap with the U.S. flag on it stole $1,000 from a Mayfair business Sunday, according to police. The man, who was posing as an immigration enforcement agent, zip-tied a female employee in broad daylight before driving off in a white van. No arrest has been made.

As immigration enforcement evolves, community organizations continue to be a first line of defense for their constituencies, offering know-your-rights workshops and connecting families of people caught in arrests with legal services. Yet a lot of their work falls somewhere in between. As raids were rumored to be on the horizon, several immigrant rights groups had members going door-to-door and checking in with businesses that remained open, distributing pocket-size “red cards” that remind people of their constitutional rights should they be approached by ICE.

Groups have also taken to social media to assuage fears and guide newfound allies in how to help. On Friday, the immigrant rights group New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia acknowledged ICE’s shifting enforcement tactics but reminded people the agency had so far been selective in its Philly operations.

“Although there are alerts about mass raids, we lack specific information about where or when they may occur,” read a lengthy Instagram post Friday.

As reports of multiple immigration arrests spread on Tuesday without official confirmation, another immigrant rights group, Juntos, shared its raid-response hotline on Instagram. The group later confirmed that one person had been arrested by ICE in South Philadelphia around 7 a.m. and that the group had connected the individual to the Mexican Consulate for legal support.

The groups have ultimately been careful not to divulge too much regarding their work, declining to comment for this article, communicating with their constituencies face-to-face and through social media instead.

In a moment when speaking out against the administration and its policies can lead to visa revocations or arrests, even the staunchest immigration advocates are hesitant to be too vocal, with more people asking not to be quoted at local protests, fearing reprisal.

Labor goes to work

That is where labor unions, such as the SEIU, can flex their numbers with gusto, according to some local leaders. The union was founded by immigrants, and a majority of its membership today is foreign-born, many benefiting from Temporary Protected Status, according to its leadership. Its membership includes cleaners, property maintenance workers, security officers, airport workers, and food service workers and was recently thrust into the spotlight when SEIU of California president David Huerta was arrested while he protested a raid in Los Angeles on Friday.

SEIU locals, used to fighting multinational corporations, had organized protests across the country by Monday, including in Pittsburgh, in Harrisburg, and a 200-person demonstration in Philadelphia, demanding their fellow worker be freed.

“That’s part sort of already in our DNA,” said Sam Williamson, vice president of SEIU Local 32BJ, which represents about 190,000 workers concentrated in the Northeast.

“I think it is a fundamental problem in America when labor leaders are getting arrested for exercising their First Amendment rights. … It’s a deeply disturbing trend, and I think that’s why there was such an aggressive, rapid, and robust response.”

Labor will once again take aim at Trump policies in nationwide, wide-ranging protests slated for Saturday. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, will join the Philly contingent at the No Kings protest.

How elected officials see their roles

For lawmakers in the region, the vigor with which they challenge ICE operations and express support for immigrant communities runs the gamut.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration has adjusted the language it uses to describe the city amid the surge of immigration arrests and threats to the city’s federal funding, opting to call Philadelphia a welcoming city. She has not waded into conversations about Los Angeles, and her office did not respond to requests for comment.

Pennsylvania’s chief executive, meanwhile, has walked a fine line when discussing immigration arrests and Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines in Los Angeles.

On CNBC Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro emphasized the importance of peaceful protests, denouncing violence, while accusing federal and state officials of “pointing fingers.”

Shapiro, who joined more than 20 governors in signing a letter condemning Trump’s use of the National Guard to quell protests in Los Angeles, said police should be the ones to restore order in communities.

“It’s also really important to make sure that our military personnel are not engaged in local law enforcement activities that, quite frankly, they’re not trained for, and the doctrine (that bars the military from participating in civilian law enforcement) makes it really something that they should not engage in but for the most extreme circumstances,” Shapiro said.

Still, he pointed to his own use of the National Guard in response to internal natural disasters and to secure the southern border — the latter a detail he had not publicly discussed before. Shapiro added it is critical for federal and state officials to be on the same page for these deployments.

Other elected officials have kept their messaging the same.

Larry Krasner, the city’s progressive district attorney and an outspoken critic of Trump policies, reiterated his stance on ICE operations this week. He told The Inquirer he would not hesitate to prosecute any agent committing a crime in the name of immigration enforcement, whether that is endangering the welfare of a child, “pushing them out into the street with no caretaker whatsoever, at a tender age under dangerous circumstances,” or something as serious as homicide.

“I sincerely hope that my being very open and transparent and public about this means that ICE is not going to break the law, they’re not going to commit crimes, they’re not going to violate the Constitution,” he said.

State Sen. Nikil Saval, meanwhile, is trying to craft legislation that will meet the moment. Saval, who has been critical of what he calls ICE “abductions and endless detentions,” says legislation is important in shaping the type of place Pennsylvania wants to be.

A child of immigrants who also represents one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse districts in the state, encompassing Packer Park in South Philly, Rittenhouse Square, Lower Kensington, and Eastwick, Saval has his own protocol for when ICE arrests are rumored to take place in his district, as they were Tuesday.

Outside of speaking out when people are arrested, Saval said, he is in touch with other elected officials and entities like the Mexican Consulate, ready to connect people with resources or launch a letter-writing campaign. But he said legislation is just as important

Chair of the Welcoming Caucus, which formed its Senate chapter this year, Saval hopes legislators interested in immigration can discuss how to communicate about the ICE arrests. Separately, he is introducing legislation that would limit local entanglements with ICE.

“Immigration enforcement is a civil issue,” he said. “It should not be confused with criminal enforcement, and when you do so, it makes everybody less safe.”

Back in the Italian Market, the scenes of raids in Los Angeles offer a glimpse of a worst-case scenario, driving people like José to take precautions like installing a small white doorbell that customers have to ring before he lets them in.

Another undocumented Italian Market shopkeeper, who asked to be identified only as Morales for fear of reprisal, has also adopted the bell method, adding a sign that reads: “Open for customers only. All others must announce and wait outside until clearly allowed to enter.”

It is a small layer of protection in the ongoing chaos.

“I am not scared anymore. I am taking my sadness and fear and choosing to continue to give back to the city I love,” Morales said. “Philadelphia is giving me the will to keep going, keep working, keep paying taxes to keep helping build the city and my family.”

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