Philadelphia City Council Hearing on Compliance With ICE Holds (2014)

On Wednesday, March 12th, 2014 City Council held a historic public hearing on Philadelphia’s compliance with ICE holds, which are non-mandatory requests from the federal immigration enforcement office to local Philadelphia law enforcement to hold someone who should otherwise be released. Immigrant leaders, advocates, and allies took the stand before Council’s Public Safety Committee to discuss the devastating impact of ICE holds on immigrant communities in Philadelphia and to call on the Mayor to work with community organizations to draft a new policy that ends all ICE holds.

Copies of testimony submitted at the hearing are below.

Philadelphia Family Unity Network (PFUN) members: 1Love Movement, JUNTOS, New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, and Victim/Witness Services of South Philadelphia.

PFUN would like to thank the following organizations for supporting the long campaign that led to this historic day and for ensuring that a new policy on ICE holds reflects the experiences of Philadelphia’s immigrant communities: AFRICOM, ACANA, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) of Newark, Asian Americans United, Boat People SOS Delaware Valley, Concilio, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Council on American Islamic Relations, Coalition of Labor Union Women, FAVOR International, Fight for Drivers Licenses, HIAS Pennsylvania, Media Mobilizing Project, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), The Philadelphia Student Union, Women Organized Against Rape and other organizations across the city.

Attachments

• ACLU Written Testimony
• Adan Mareina
• Adan Tlatenco
• Alejandra Mota
• CAIR-Philadelphia Testimony
• Caroline Campbell
• Chia Chia Wang
• Erika Almiron
• Father John Olenik
• HIAS PA testimony
• Hiram Rivera
• Juana Aparicio
• Karla Rojas
• Maria Serna
• Mia-lia Kiernan
• Naroen Chhin
• New Sanctuary Movement
• Penn Law Testimony
• PICC Testimony
• SEARAC Testimony
• Tamara Jimenez