COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON LAW AND GOVERNMENT Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, January 22, 2025 10:16 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN KATHERINE GILMORE RICHARDSON, CHAIR COUNCILWOMAN KENDRA BROOKS, VICE-CHAIR COUNCILWOMAN CINDY BASS COUNCILWOMAN RUE LANDAU COUNCILMAN ANTHONY PHILLIPS
Good afternoon. I note that the hour has come to begin today's Committee on Law and Government hearing. Clerk, will you please call the roll to take attendance. Members that are in attendance will please indicate that you are present when your name is called.
Thank you. A quorum of the Committee is present and this hearing is now called to order. This is the public hearing of the Committee on Law and Government regarding Resolution No. 22 241090. Clerk, will you please read the title of the bills and the title of the resolution.
Resolution 3 No. 241090, authorizing the Committee on Law and Government to hold hearings exploring Philadelphia's readiness and commitment to protecting immigrant, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities in advance of the impending Trump Administration.
Thank you. Before I ask the Clerk to call the first panel, I'd like to recognize the presence of one of my partners in progress, Representative Joe Hohenstein, who we will hear from later in one of our panels. (Applause.)
Thank you for being here. I know I saw you. Thank you, my partner. I would now like to recognize the sponsor of the resolution, Councilmember Rue Landau.
Thank you so much, Chair Gilmore Richardson. And thank you all for being here today on what is such an important day. Today we gather as the Committee of Law and Government for a hearing, the subject of which weighs heavily on my heart and I know the hearts of so many who are here today. We're here today because our City's facing a crisis with the new Presidential administration determined to roll back the hard- fought rights and protections of immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals and so many other marginalized communities. Today is not just another policy discussion. It's also a collective call to defend the dignity, safety and very existence of those who too often have been pushed to the edges of society. Philadelphia, a city built on the old idea of liberty and justice for all, must unite to combat whatever the coming months and years may bring. Our hearing today is about equipping ourselves legally, truthfully and compassionately to stand up for our neighbors when powerful forces would rather turn a blind eye to their struggles. As we confront the realities of President Trump's return to the White House, I want to speak plainly about what this moment means for us as a city. In these last 48 hours, we have witnessed a wave of executive orders, orders that threaten to turn away vulnerable people who look to America for hope, orders that seek to gut the legal protections embraced by LGBTQ+ Philadelphians, that disregard the very existence of transgender and nonbinary identities and shatter families through border crackdowns and an attempt to end birthright citizenship, orders that aim to muzzle the voices advocating for equity and justice from inside federal agencies and undermine health protections for those who most need them. For many in our city, immigrant families seeking safety, transgender folks struggling for affirmation, low-income Black and Brown communities already carrying the weight of systemic injustice, people who saw their reproductive rights vulnerable in 2022, these new directives are not merely headlines. They are lived nightmares. They're the deep and constant fear of being torn from loved ones, left without critical services or forced back into a closet we fought so hard to escape. They are painful reminders that for too long voices of hatred, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia have sought to drown out our fight for equity and dignity. But let me be clear, this hearing is not about social engineering. It is about preparing ourselves to shield our neighbors and loved ones from harm, to defend the marginalized and to uphold the promise that Philadelphia is a place where all are welcome, all are valued and all have the right to thrive. We are here to save lives and to make sure Philadelphia remains a beacon of fairness for all. Today we will hear from community members, some who immigrated to the United States and found refuge in Philadelphia, some who have fought tirelessly for LGBTQ+ equity, some who bear scars from racial discrimination, some who have seen their right to health care slowly stripped away and all of whom have reason to fear the new wave of policies coming from Washington. These stories may be heartbreaking, but they remind us that our work is urgent, that our promise to protect civil rights and liberties must be made tangible through real policy and a readiness to defend that policy in the courts, on the streets and in our homes. As part of this urgent work, we will also hear from the dedicated nonprofit leaders, service providers and grassroots organizers who stand on the front lines of these fights every single day. Their testimonies will provide firsthand perspective on what our communities need right now, whether it's legal aid, shelter, health services or simply a guiding hand through a system too often stacked against them. These voices will help us chart a course forward that is both bold in its ambition and firmly rooted in the lived experiences of those most at risk.
Philadelphia has always been at its best when we stand together against injustice. From grassroots organizers to faith leaders, from nonprofits on the ground to allies at every level of City government, our strength lies in our unity and in the days ahead we will need that strength. Let us remember we are the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection and, as I'd like to add, Sibling Solidarity. That is not just a motto. It's a moral imperative we have a responsibility to protect and empower our communities and that work begins here in this room with our collective commitment to justice. Thank you all for being here and for lending your voices to this cause. I know these are trying times, but we gather in solidarity and hope. We gather to reaffirm that Philadelphia working together will continue to be a beacon for those seeking safety, equality and dignity. With that, I look forward to hearing from our speakers today as they share their testimonies. May their words remind us why we fight and whom we fight for. May they move us to action and may we leave here united in our determination to ensure that no matter what happens in Washington, Philadelphia's heart will remain open and our promise of justice unbroken. Thank you very much. )
Thank you. Thank you so much, Councilmember Landau. Thank you for your work on this resolution and on today's hearing. We know that hate has no home here in Philadelphia and unity is our strength. So thank you very much for your work. The Chair now recognizes Councilmember Brooks for remarks.
Thank you so much, Majority Leader. Good morning. And I want to start by thanking Councilmember Rue Landau for holding this important Committee hearing. For months my colleagues and I have raised questions about what steps the City is taking to prepare for an incoming Trump Administration. We've raised these questions because our constituents are concerned based on what they're seeing and hearing from the City. Many of those groups raising concerns are here with us today, and I want to thank them for their leadership. I'm hoping today we can get clarity on some of the preparation the Parker Administration has taken. To be clear, I don't know the challenges of a new Trump Administration may bring to the city of Philadelphia and we don't know if he's going to continue to divide communities against each other so his administration can line the pockets of billionaires or will he make good on his promises to working- class people, but that does not mean that we should not be ready. We can judge him by what he has done. What we saw during his inauguration gave us a few hints on what to expect. President Trump has surrounded himself with the richest men in the world trying to scurry personal favors while he signed executive orders targeting immigrants, transgender folks, labor rights and empowering those same billionaires. We already saw how our own legislative process was corrupted by billionaires during the arena fight. The threat of Trump is also the threat of an oligarchy. Our city has to get prepared for this reality. I'm open to working with anyone, but that does not mean we have to compromise our values. I am clear-eyed that the Trump Administration represents threats to many people in Philadelphia. However, my biggest concern is our own preparedness, particularly given the lack of information we've heard coming from the Administration regarding their approach to Trump. Thank you.
Thank you and thank you so much, Vice-Chair Brooks. Prior to continuing, are there any other members of the Committee or any members present who wish to be recognized? The Chair recognizes Councilmember Gauthier.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to start by thanking Councilmember Rue Landau for hosting this very important discussion. This is very personal for me. Not only do I represent a district that is home to many, many diverse immigrants from all over the world, my own mother immigrated to my district along with her family. And if that didn't happen, I wouldn't be me and I wouldn't be here. And I think that our immigrant community as well as our LGBTQ+ community deserves to know what the City is doing to protect them. And moreover, I think that Philadelphians, whether they're immigrants or LGBTQ+ members of the community, deserve to know that the City has their back, right. And so, I think this is a really important discussion and I'm excited to listen in. And thank you again, Councilmember Landau.
Thank you. Thank you very much, Councilmember Gauthier. Clerk, will you please call the first panel we have to testify on Resolution No. 241090. And prior to calling Panel 1, the Chair recognizes the presence of Councilmember Cindy Bass. In addition to that, I wanted to state for the record that we do have another hearing scheduled for 1 o'clock today for our Legislative Oversight Committee. So I do appreciate all of you who have submitted written testimony in advance. And if you have submitted written testimony, I ask that you summarize your testimony because we want to hear from each of you. And thus far, I'm looking at a list of 53 people. Okay. So we ask that you summarize your testimony. We appreciate your presence here. And the Clerk will now call the first panel we have to testify on Resolution No. 241090.
Will Renee Garcia, Dr. Jayme Banks, Keisha Hudson and Bob Listenbee, please make your way to the desk. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Thank you. Thank you all so very much for being here. We appreciate your presence this morning. I'd ask that you take your seats at the witness table. If you could state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the Committee. My name is Renee Garcia, City Solicitor, testifying on Resolution 241090, exploring the readiness and commitment to protecting our immigrant, LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities. Today I will not engage in legal analysis of hypothetical situations nor will I breach the attorney-client privilege that protects this Council and the Administration. However, I can speak to the relevant laws and orders already in place. Foundationally, Philadelphia has strong laws against discrimination, namely the Fair Practices ordinance which protects persons from adverse actions and employment, housing or in a place of public accommodation on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, sex, reproductive health autonomy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. It's quite a list. As you know, the ordinance 9 is enforced by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. In addition, two executive orders related to immigration status were enacted in prior administrations and remain in effect. Executive Order 0809 ensures access to all City services regardless of immigration status and prohibits City employees from asking people about their immigration status unless required to provide that service. Executive Order 0516 affirms that Philadelphia will only honor federal judicial warrants, not detainer requests, from immigration enforcement agencies. In the area of reproductive freedom, you recall that several bills were passed in 2022 by folks here today. Bill No. 220664 amended the Fair Practices ordinance to protect reproductive health autonomy. Bill No. 220665 provides health care providers with a right of private action to countersue abusive litigants. And Bill No. 14 220656 prohibits the disclosure of reproductive health care information for the purposes of abusive litigation or harassment. As you know, the Commonwealth protects abortions up to weeks. 20 There are a lot of caveats to that, 21 but we still have 24 weeks. 22 My office remains 23 committed to enforcing these laws 24 and continuing to support, uplift and protect all persons within the border of our city. Thank you and I will now take questions.
Thank you, Madam Solicitor. We're going to hear from the rest of Panel 1 and then we will take questions for the entirety of Panel 1 at that time. Thank you.
Good morning, Councilmembers. My name is Dr. Jayme Banks and I serve as the Chief of Student Support Services for the School District of Philadelphia. I'm here today with my colleague Dr. Natalie Neree as Chief of Special Education and Diverse Learners, who will also speak with you in a moment. Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on the School District of Philadelphia's policies and procedures designed to support LGBTQ+ individuals and immigrant families. The District has consistently demonstrated its commitment to fostering equity, inclusion and safety for all students and staff. This testimony highlights the proactive measures and policies the District has implemented to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals and immigrant families are protected, respected and supported in their pursuit of educational success and personal well-being. Our commitment to equity and inclusion is shown through the School District of Philadelphia. LGBTQ+ students and staff face unique challenges that can impact their academic and professional experiences. The District is dedicated to fostering environments where all these individuals regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression feel valued, respected and supported. We've instituted the following policies and practices: One, non-discrimination policies. The District strictly prohibits discrimination, harassment and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. This is outlined in our comprehensive non-discrimination policies, including Policies 103, 248, 249 and 252 ensuring that LGBTQ+ students and staff are protected. In 2024 the District revised our administrative procedures for Policy 252. These revisions were done in collaboration with stakeholders, feedback from students serving on our GSA Advisory. Additionally, we have a cross-collaborative work group to plan events and other supports for students as well. This includes offices across the District as well as partners like Big Brothers and Big Sisters. In terms of affirming gender identity, we have Policy 252 which is entitled, Transgender and Gender Non-conforming Students, which allows students to use their chosen name and pronouns in school records, classrooms and communications. In addition, students are supported in using facilities and participating in programs that are aligned with their gender identity. In terms of professional development, staff receive ongoing training to enhance their ability to support LGBTQ+ students, address biases and foster inclusive classrooms with a focus on trauma- informed approaches and cultural responsive practices. Professional development is provided as-needed and supported by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and our Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In August 2023, school leaders, climate managers received training on policies and procedures followed by counselors also in December 2023. School psychologists were also just trained in 2024. These sessions covered the policy review, actions to address violations and strategies to improve implementation within our schools. In terms of systems of supports, the District offers resources such as LGBTQ+ student clubs, gender and sexuality alliances, GSAs, counseling services, partnerships with community organizations including, but not limited to, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Mazzoni Center (inaudible) to ensure that students and families have access to necessary supports. Currently the District has 104 GSAs, including those in middle schools as well as high schools. This spring the District will hold its third annual GSA Summit, an opportunity for students to come together for a day of learning community. Every year we also partner with Big Brothers and Big Sisters to hold a large Pride event.
Engaging families and communities is very important and with this we collaborate with stakeholders that promote awareness, advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and provide education on the importance of inclusivity. The District has recently hired an LGBTQ+ coordinator, who will begin February 7th to help support and grow the number of GSAs we have and really just continue to push this work further. While progress has been made, the District remains focused on continuously improving access and resources to the students. And in conclusion, the School District of Philadelphia is steadfast in its commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and equitable environment for LGBTQ+ students and staff and community members. These policies and practices are vital to ensuring that every student can thrive and contribute fully to their school community. So thank you for the opportunity to share this testimony and I'm confident that through continued collaboration and advocacy we can further advance equity, inclusion for LGBTQ+ individuals in our schools.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. Are you also from the District?
Good morning. My name is Dr. Natalie Neree. I serve as the Chief of Special Education and Diverse Learners for the School District of Philadelphia. I'm here today to discuss our District's ongoing commitment to creating safe and welcoming spaces for all students regardless of immigration status. This commitment is a shared value as reflected in the Board of Education's Welcoming Sanctuary Schools resolution, which we adopted in June 2021. I want to note that on January 20, 2025 President Trump signed a number of executive orders. The District is analyzing these executive orders and will make any needed revisions to guidance and toolkits to ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is being shared with our community. Today we've developed -- together we've developed clear guidelines and communication protocols for our school staff. These protocols outline how to respond to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, agents on school grounds and ensure all District employees have the necessary training and resources. We've established a clear policy our staff, volunteers and contractors will not inquire about immigration status unless required by law as a way to protect our students' privacy. Any request from ICE for student information or access to our property will be immediately referred to the Office of General Counsel to ensure compliance with the law and protect our students' rights. This policy has been shared with principals and will be trained with school staff, continued training. We've developed a comprehensive immigrant refugee toolkit to guide staff on handling immigration-related concerns. We're also providing ongoing professional development for teachers, administrators and other school personnel on how to respond to immigration enforcement actions. We have conducted training for school staff, specifically at our principal's meeting last week about steps to take if ICE agents request access to a school, and those steps include immediately notifying the Office of General Counsel, obtaining documentation from the agent such as subpoena or warrant which is claimed to authorize access to schools. We have created a detailed emergency response plan to safeguard the emotional, physical and well-being of our students who may be affected by federal immigration and enforcement actions. This plan provides convening safety team meetings at all schools and having clear protocols for providing any instances of ICE presence near schools. We understand the importance of community engagement. We're actively involving parents, teachers, community organizations in developing and refining our immigration response plan, ensuring their voices are heard throughout the process. We're committed to keeping our families informed. A letter outlining our policies resources is being drafted by our communication team and will be shared soon. We're encouraging all families to update their emergency contact information for student pickup. We're developing an easy-to-use resource for families that summarize our policies. It's a condensed version of the 2016 toolkit. Staff will receive ongoing training through PowerSchool and asynchronous learning modules. Additionally, our school-based bilingual counseling assistance will continue to provide support for multi- lingual families and share resources. We understand that many students may not be aware of their own or their family's immigration status. This is a sensitive issue and we're committed to handling it with compassion and discretion. By working collaboratively, we can ensure that all of our students feel safe, supported and welcome in our schools. Thank you for your time.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your presence and for your testimony. We will take the last two witnesses for this panel and then we will address any questions we have for this panel. I'd also like to recognize the presence of Katayun Jaffari, who's the Chairperson of the Philadelphia Bar Association. Thank you too for your presence. Okay. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. CHIEF DEFENDER HUDSON: Okay. Good morning, Chairwoman Gilmore Richardson and Vice-Chair Brooks and Councilmembers. I want to thank Councilmember Landau for introducing this resolution and for the opportunity to present to the Committee the current legal services the Defender provides to clients facing immigration consequences. I want to compare and contrast the Defender Association's current staffing with that of other major cities in other public defender agencies. While we do not have the immigration population or non-citizen population of a big city like New York City, we do have a sizable non-citizen and immigration population here in Philadelphia. The legal aid of New York City has an 80-member immigrant defense unit. At the Defender Association of Philadelphia we, currently in partnership with the Nationality Services Center who you will hear from today, have two part-time immigration attorneys and one mitigation specialist. And those two part-time immigration attorneys and our mitigation specialist work with our clients to help them understand the immigration consequences of their involvement with the criminal legal system. Just a bit about the current work that we do. The services are funded by the PAIFUP grant, which is the Pennsylvania immigrant Family Unity Project, which is a grant that is $500,000 a year, and that grant allows us to provide the services we currently provide at the Defender Association in partnership with NSC. PAIFUP provides legal aid to people detained by ICE who have ties to Philadelphia. The program uses a universal representation model to assist eligible individuals regardless of case strength. Since 2019, PAIFUP has grown from three to five full- time attorneys at NFC representing 213 individuals. But despite this progress, 65 percent of the 102,000 cases in Philadelphia Immigration Court since 2019 have not had legal representation. That's 65 percent of people went unrepresented. Representation matters as we know. 39 percent of PAIFUP clients with completed cases were allowed to stay in the United States versus only percent of those who were 7 unrepresented. 8 Representation leads to 9 stronger, more stable communities. 10 45 percent of detained clients were 11 released and reunited with their 12 families, and legal representation 13 allows our clients to raise valid 14 defenses. 70 percent apply for 15 relief with 80 percent pursuing 16 protection-based claims like 17 asylum. 18 Our plan at the Defender 19 Association, again with the support of NSC and other partners, is to expand the services we currently provide and take a larger role in PAIFUP. We do plan this year to create for the first time at the Defender Association an Immigration Defense Unit with a staffing proposal of members, which would 4 include two legal fellows. The 5 expansion would allow us to better 6 support an estimated 50,000 people 7 in Philadelphia who are at risk of 8 deportation. 9 We want to create this 10 unit because it will be a 11 centralized model which would 12 streamline services, prevent 13 duplication and improve efficiency and outcomes for our clients. We are proposing to absorb the PAIFUP funding, which is again $500,000 per year. But we are going to be requesting an additional $800,000 from the City to be able to create this unit and staff up to represent the clients we need to represent. In conclusion, as federal policies change more challenge do lie ahead. Investing in expanded legal services will ensure we can respond effectively and protect Philadelphians.
The time to act is now to prepare for upcoming shifts and provide the necessary support. One further comment. As Councilmembers know, the Defender Association does have a Child Advocacy Unit where we represent children independency. And just want to highlight that we are having clients who are very young, as young as 5 years old, who are at risk of deportation. And so, we plan to also have someone on staff who can work specifically with dependent children. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yes, please. My name is Bob Listenbee. I'm First Assistant District Attorney for DA Larry Krasner. I thank you for the opportunity to present testimony here this morning. The DA's Office is committed to fair and just prosecution of the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We are aware that President Donald Trump promised during his campaign that if he were elected he would engage in a process of mass deportation of non-citizen immigrants. Shortly after he was inaugurated this past Monday, he signed several executive orders designed to begin the process. While we have not had an opportunity to thoroughly examine each of those executive orders, there are two things that are clear to us. These policies regarding mass deportation are anti-public safety and they are also anti- family. During the first Trump Administration, ICE enforcement policies changed from targeting non-citizens convicted of serious violent crimes to targeting all undocumented immigrants regardless of criminal history. We'd like to examine how we think these policies are going to impact us. First of all, there are many immigrants who are victims of crimes, especially serious violent crimes. Sometimes they're suspicious of the criminal justice system based upon their experiences back in their country of origin. Some of them are just generally distrustful law enforcement. Based upon our experiences, we've seen this. We are aware that also because of Trump Administration policies during the first Trump Administration, ICE enforcement in and around the courthouse discourage victims, discourage victims from coming down to the courthouse to protect their rights. It also discourages -- those policies also discourage witnesses. It's important to recognize that without victims coming down to the courthouse to enforce their rights, it's impossible to go forward with many of the cases that we have. There are some cases we can try with video and there's all kinds of video opportunities available and with other forensics, but many cases require that victims be present, so they're discouraged and we think that this is important for us to recognize. We will support all victims in any way that we possibly can through the District Attorney's Office. We have a Victim Witness Unit. Their number is 215-686-8027. gov. gov. We also anticipate that there are many witnesses who will be discouraged or their participation chilled because of ICE around the courthouse. So again, we're fearful that we will not be able to put some of these cases on because of that. Again, our victim witness coordinators are available to support these witnesses and we will do everything we can to make sure that these cases are prosecuted. Another area which people do not normally think about, which is defendants. S. citizens. S. citizens. So we are going to do everything we can to coordinate and make sure that these noncitizen immigrants who are charged with serious violent crimes are prosecuted here in the city and county of Philadelphia and also that the victims and witnesses involved will have an opportunity to go forward. In addition, we know that these policies of mass deportation, as was commented upon earlier, are anti-family. We recognize that many immigrant families do not -- the young people don't know whether their parents are non-citizens or not or don't know their immigration status. Sometimes the non-citizen immigrants don't know their actual legal status as well, so they get caught up. And many of them end up being deported. You're going to have families where the mother or the mother and father or the father are going to be deported leaving their children here to fend for themselves and to try and work through the traumas that they experience being separated from their families and the trauma they will be experiencing as they're set adrift in the child care systems that we have here in our country.
Now, I know we do our best to make sure our child care systems work, but it's still difficult for a child without his or her family there present to be successful in our society without somebody there cheering for them continuously. I want to stress one other fact. We are aware that Pennsylvania is a sovereign state. The laws of the United States do not allow the President of the United States to pardon people who are found guilty under the laws of Pennsylvania. The DA wants to be clear that if those people who were pardoned by the President come back to the city and county of Philadelphia and engage in any kind of criminal activity, those people in particular but anyone who does that, is going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And also, they're not going to be able to be pardoned by the President of the United States. This office has strongly supported not only immigrants but the LGBTQ community in numerous prosecutions, been involved in numerous press conferences where we've discussed these issues and we've talked about the prosecutions involving the LGBTQ community. We will continue to do that vigorously. If there are new policies that we need to develop in order to support both immigrants and the LGBTQ community, we will do so. Also, the DA is involved in exploring other options about what we can do. I'm only here to talk about the beginning of the process three days after the President has been inaugurated. There will be more. This DA is intent upon using all the powers that he has as a district attorney to protect our community and also to enforce the laws. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony, and thank you so much to Panel 1. The Chair will now recognize Councilmembers for questions starting with Councilmember Rue Landau, and then Vice-Chair Brooks.
Thank you. Some of what I wanted to say were just comments to you. I do have one question that will come up, but I wanted to just between the School District and the Defender Association, DA's Office, thank you for your thoroughness, your commitment and especially to the School District for your deep planning that you have done for protecting families in Philadelphia. We can't predict everything that is going to happen and to come at us. This is absolutely heartbreaking to hear from you guys right now, but to know that you've thought it out and to know that you're coming up with the best plan possible is really very comforting for those of us who still all of our heads are spinning. Also to DA Listenbee, I wanted to -- or District Attorney Listenbee, I wanted to say what you talked about with the chilling effect on victims and witnesses, when I ran the City's Commission on Human Relations, I worked very closely with then Deputy Commissioner Bethel, who is now our Police Commissioner thankfully. It was very similar to what he always said. He and I went through going through the first Trump Administration. He always said he was so concerned about the chilling effect on victims and witnesses and that we have to have such clear guidelines from the City of Philadelphia about being able to protect people to the greatest extent of the law so that they will come forward and help us with overall safety for all of our communities. So again, thank you guys so much. I did have a question for City Solicitor Garcia. I wanted to ask, you talked about our executive orders, our strong executive orders here in Philadelphia, 809 and particularly 516. And I wanted you just for everybody here and everybody who's listening give us a little bit more information about those so people know what the laws are that are in place. I will say again as the former PCHR head I appreciated your comments on our strong anti- discrimination policies here in Philadelphia that protect people not only through the City government but through private employers, housing providers and all places of public accommodation. So please, the executive orders. Thank you so much. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Thank you for the question. I'll start with 0516, which is the detainer executive order. Under federal law the -- I'm going to just call them ICE. ICE has the ability to send what's called a detainer request, and I'll tell you exactly how that plays out. So if we are holding someone in our prison and we are about to release that person, they can send a request for us to hold that person. We do not honor detainer requests and under the law we do not have to honor detainer requests. We honor judicial warrants, and that is the case whether a warrant comes from ICE or the state of New Jersey or the county of Delaware or the country of Brazil. And that is across the board. So we may get a request, but we will decline to honor that request. And if that person is free to go, they are free to go. But if they do show up with a judicially-signed warrant, we do honor that warrant. Is that clear? Any other questions on --
Yes. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Okay. 0809, so this has been in place for now I think we must be going on 16 years that this has been in place. So the executive order reads that City services, which include fire and police services, homeless services, mental health services, child protective services, they are afforded to those within our borders, and not only residents within our borders but if a tourist calls the police, they are afforded those services as well. We do not collect immigration status unless the particular service requires that status. And sitting here today, it's a question that I have that I'm running down with my office because there may be a few things in the space of federal housing benefits or other federal benefits where we need that information. For the vast majority of our services we do not need that information, we do not collect that information. There's also a confidentiality clause within the EO that if we do have that information for whatever reason we do need it, we are not to disclose it under this executive order. Now, there may be a subpoena. We do have to honor judicially-signed subpoenas the same as warrants. But for the most part going on 11 years now, we haven't collected it 12 and we haven't shared the 13 information. Does that answer all 14 your questions? 15
Thank you, Councilmember Landau. The Chair now recognizes Vice-Chair Brooks.
Thank you so much, Solicitor. I have a bunch of questions just to put on the record and some you may have an answer to and some I'm okay to have them in writing. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Okay.
You know how we do. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: I'll try to take notes.
The first question, the Trump Administration represents a significant threat to the people in Philadelphia across an array of communities. Yet the key administrative positions to defend these communities remain unfilled. So since November the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs have lacked a Director. There's no 21 Director of Labor and there's no 22 permanent Director for the Department of Behavior, Health and Intellectual Disability Services and the Office of Sustainability and there's no Director for the Office of Immigrant Affairs. How can we be prepared for the Trump Administration when some of these key positions are unfilled? I'm going to just run through the questions -- CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Go ahead.
All right. And then the next one, has the Administration met directly with the Trump Administration and are there things that have been discussed that might be helpful to Council? Are there policies the City is considering changing based on executive orders passed or of any of Trump's upcoming priorities? And some of the questions Councilmember Landau asked. My question to that is when can we expect the information to be shared with Council about the policies you mentioned? And I'm pretty sure there are many more other than what Councilmember Landau asked. And has the City looked at relevant information in the executive action and when can we expect something more concrete about the City's approach -- well, the Administration's approach to some of the things that are currently in action? And that's all for the Administration. I think I just wanted to get that on the -- CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Okay. I'll hit as much as I can and then you can help me fill in. For the Administration we do have a number of offices that have interim directors or commissioners. I personally know we are interviewing for all of those positions. But if you want particular updates on any of them, then you can reach out to LGBTQ Affairs. For the Trump Administration, any meetings that the Mayor has had I will also send that to the Mayor's team who's here today and she can brief Council as to that. The executive orders that are here have been here for a very long time. If you have particular questions as to how they function within the police department or throughout the City, we're happy to do a deep dive. But what I read was what the executive orders say, so they're not separate policies that I'm reading. Happy to dive deeper into any of these. You can contact my office or the Mayor's office or you can talk to police, right.
Yeah. So part of that is just we'll get phone calls and I just want my staff or staff across Council to be better prepared of what is the City's policy around that. And if there's existing policy, that's fine. But is anything going to be changing or do we need to beef up things because of this new Administration that's far more prepared than they were last time? CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Yep. So I will circulate the executive order so that everybody has them in top of their box. And if your staff wants to talk more deeply, I'm happy to do it. Happy to get the police on the call to dive deep into logistics because I live up here, not down in the weeds of the police department. Are things changing? Right now this is what is in place. The Mayor is, as she said, laserfocused on safer, cleaner, greener access to economic opportunity for all. She has been clear that that is for everybody within the City's borders, whether they are descendants of William Penn or stopping by to see the Liberty Bell. A lot of executive orders came out yesterday, dozens and dozens, and of course my office is reviewing. As we do with any Administration, as we do with anything that comes from the Commonwealth, from the federal government, from a court, my office is set up to do this. We do this all day every day. What applies to the City of Philadelphia, what is legal, what is not legal, what are challenges we can bring, all day every day. So I cannot speak today as to what changes will be made. That is a conversation that I would have in privilege anyway. But I can tell you that we are going through every single one, including that really long list of executive orders that were repealed by the Trump Administration, and the list is very, very long. But I want you to be sure that we are working on it, we are working with our partners on it and more information will come forthcoming at the appropriate time if we do see something that affects the city of Philadelphia.
Thank you. And just for the record, if you could disseminate that to the Committee and then also to Council President for dissemination to the body. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Absolutely.
Thank you, Madam Solicitor. I'd also like to recognize Councilmember Bass for questions.
Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for being here today. And so, just to sort of piggyback on some of the other questions that were asked, my questions are very similar. But I just wanted to say that it seems as if your offices will really be at the forefront of everything that's happening. You all will likely in my opinion be the most affected, the ones who are on the front line dealing with these issues on a much more regular basis than many others. And so, I think that the first thing as we look at prioritizing how do we protect marginalized communities, I think the first thing that we have to do is look at the upcoming budget, and I don't know what kind of budget requests, I heard Ms. Defender Hudson's request, what your number is likely going to be which seems very, very reasonable to me and probably in my opinion should probably be even higher. But I'd like to get a sense of in terms of your budget requests are they reflective of the changes because you'll be on those front lines? Are they reflective of what it is you actually need to be able to do this job?
Madam Councilperson, ours is not at the present time. The DA has plans to do other things than I have mentioned today. He is exploring those options, in fact, with other district attorneys both within the Commonwealth and outside to see what we can do collectively to address some of these issues. So I won't know really what the budgetary concerns are going to be until after he's had a chance to work closely with some of the other law enforcement officers. He does plan other things though. I just want to be clear about that.
I would just add some urgency only because we're almost in February, the budget starts in March. We're here. Now is the time to ask, and I know the Administration is probably not, you know, they probably have a sense of where they want to be with all of these things. But I think that again if you're going to be asking, now's the time to put in your request so that we can fully support what it is that you're hoping to be able to do to address these issues, because again it's going to be at your doorstep on a much more regular basis than it's going to be on anybody else's doorstep. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: And I'll add, Councilmember, thank you for the question, we are working on our budget requests. We did anticipate that this may be coming. We anticipate 2026 to be very busy, but all of our work is very busy. We have a very ambitious Mayor and a very ambitious Council, so we are working through all of that. But I also want you to know that we've received a lot of support from the community, pro bono counsel. We have a national network of different nonprofits that help us. We have a network of city attorneys throughout the country. So there are other supports in place and we do expect to continue to receive that support ongoing, and that wasn't just in the Trump Administration. That's throughout any Administration that network is in place.
Super. The other question I had was around resources, again because I feel that you all are the most effective. Are you going to be working together to provide resources or to inform us as to information that we can give to our constituents when they come against federal action for immigration enforcement or LGBTQ issues or for African Americans around diversity, equity and inclusion issues? Is there any sort of working together, working group, anything that we can count on to get additional information from you all to help guide us since you're going to be seeing so much of what's going to be happening? CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Yes, of course. We will all be working together. We talk to the District Attorney's Office, the Defender's and the School District all the time on a number of matters. We will be working together but working with everybody in this room too, and I'm sure we'll hear a lot about the support that they will offer and the concerns that they have. But of course we will work together, as we always do, as we always do.
So you know what, and let me just for the sake of clarity because I know you all work together, but I guess what I'm saying is that we, I think, would like to see something from you all together collectively that will help guide us in our direction and our operations from what you are seeing on a regular basis. CITY SOLICITOR GARCIA: Yes, and we appreciate that support. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Bass. The Chair now recognizes Councilmember Phillips.
Thank you, Chairwoman Gilmore Richardson. I just have a quick question that I want us to see if you can be able to provide the public with a vivid understanding of how the School District and also the City of Philadelphia's Law Department will respond to something. I'll try to give a glaring example so people can understand something. Say, for instance, one day School X in Philadelphia is immediate -- like, somehow there is a raid by ICE workers that go into School X in the city of Philadelphia because the Trump Administration has decided that they want to at that point literally take children out of school that day and deport them. How will the School District of Philadelphia respond to people knocking on school doors and trying to take children? If that was to happen, what is that response plan and how are teachers and administrators going to respond if a raid were to happen tomorrow by the Trump Administration?
Thank you for your question. We have protocols in place. Currently we are working with our Office of General Counsel and we will be working with all of our stakeholders, certainly partnering with you so that we can answer and respond appropriately and immediately if that situation were to occur.
Thank you. So how soon do you think the School District will have an adequate response to something of that nature? Because it could happen on Friday, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week. The way this Administration is acting they're ready to go with no plan, just full throttle just go to work. How soon can we probably get this response? It seems pretty urgent.
Currently we have a response and our response, all school personnel know to contact our Office of General Counsel, and our Office of General Counsel is working with our City leaders on how to respond. So right now as of today it is for all school members or school staff to contact the office, obtain the documentation and wait for further direction.
Okay. I'll take that as a response. Thank you, Chairwoman.
Thank you. And lastly, we'll recognize Vice-Chair Brooks before we go on to Panel 2.
All right. Thank you so much. First, I wanted to kind of off my colleague's question, actually I was thanking the School District of Philadelphia because I realized in our morning meeting today you guys came pretty prepared, so I wanted to thank you for at least having a plan about what should happen. Even my questions, they had a decent answer initially, so thank you so much. And they told me that you guys would be here, so I appreciate that. And also, Chief Defender, I really do appreciate you coming into this hearing with your budget requests ready and prepared for what's next. That gives me a little solace to what's going to happen next, so I thank you for that. And I want to lean into the District Attorney's experience when Trump was previously in office. Your office received frequent criticisms from the federal employees with Trump ties. What is your office's advice of what the City should expect?
Councilmember Brooks, could you elaborate a little bit on your question so that I can attempt to answer it?
So what are you guys expecting based on previous experience and the direct attack on our District Attorney from the Trump Administration? What are you expecting currently as we move forward into a new Trump Administration?
Well, there have been attacks on our District Attorney from President Trump as of two days ago. I mean, I heard him on T.V. when he was referring to what we do not do here. He alleged that we do not prosecute people who commit homicides, which is totally untrue. There are going to be more attacks. In terms of our specific response, I'd have to actually say the DA is planning but he does not at this point in time two days after the administration began want to declare that because he's working to develop his plan, but he has been working on it for a while so it's not new. I don't know exactly what it's going to be. If I did, I would share it with you. But I know he's working and we did have that conversation.
And my other question: What is the District Attorney's position on the Paris Agreement? And have there been any discussions between the District Attorney's Office and the Mayor's Office regarding this policy?
Okay. Will you commit to keeping a dialogue with immigrant rights groups like the National Immigration Law Center and local grassroots organizations to understand the best practices and access to resource guides on potential threats to immigrant families?
Yes, Madam Councilperson, we will. And not only that, we have an immigration lawyer on our staff. We've had one since this Administration began in 2018. In addition, we have a person who supervises that lawyer, who began as our immigration lawyer and has been recognized throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania this year by the Pennsylvania Bar Association and received the Lawyer of the Year award. So we have been doing working diligently in this area and we will continue in the future. Specifics in terms of our working with other groups, we will be more than willing to share with you at a future time or if you'd like us to communicate that in writing, we're more than willing to do that. But we do work collaboratively with immigration groups across the Commonwealth and we will do so in the future because it has been the aspiration of this District Attorney to begin this whole area of practice which did not exist before we arrived here in 2018. He's been adamant about it and he's confronted anyone who got in the way. I think we've handled over a thousand cases involving issues according to the information that was provided to me by that immigration lawyer just yesterday.
Thank you. Are there any additional questions for Panel 1? (No response.)
Okay. Seeing none, thank you all very much for being here today and thank you for your testimony. Will the Clerk please now call Panel 2.
Will Vanessa Stine, Harper Seldin and Evelyn Mangold please make your way to the desk. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Thank you Panel 2 for your presence as you approach the witness table. We'll ask that you state your names for the record and then proceed with your testimony. And if you could please summarize your testimony as much as possible. We want to get through Panel 2, and so that we can hear from the additional witnesses who have signed up to testify today. Thank you.
Good morning, everyone. My name is Vanessa Stine and I'm a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union or ACLU of Pennsylvania where I lead the organizations's immigrant rights work. I began working at the ACLU in 2018 at the height of the first Trump administration's attacks on Philadelphia and witnessed the incredible power of our collective efforts to stand in solidarity with immigrant communities. My testimony today is going to focus on the current Philadelphia policies, how they work in practice, how they're legally sound and how previous attempts to deny funding were defeated and failed in federal courts across the country. I know the current policies were discussed by the first panel, but I just want to touch on them briefly. The first executive order, which is commonly called the ICE Holds policy, is about ICE detainer hold requests that are sent by ICE to local jails or other law enforcement agencies to detain somebody for an additional 48 hours after their release date. These hold requests are not mandatory and the executive order makes it clear that people in Philadelphia custody may not be detained solely on an ICE detainer, ICE hold. And I'm going to talk about later why that's important for the City to maintain that policy. The second policy is about prohibiting City officials generally from asking about immigration status or having police take immigration status into consideration. There's also a third policy that's a police memorandum which is Memorandum 0106, which prohibits police officers from sharing confidential information about people who are immigrants except under limited circumstances. I want to talk briefly about how these policies work. But before that, I just want to acknowledge that these policies are often referred to as sanctuary policies, but that label is misleading. Philadelphia's current policies do not create sanctuary from federal immigration enforcement. ICE regularly arrests and detains people in Philadelphia, including after the adoption of these policies, right. These policies date back to 2006 and the latest one is from 2016. And ICE presumably will continue to operate and arrest people here in Philadelphia. While they don't prevent immigration arrests, the policies play an important role in protecting Philadelphia residents and safeguarding the City from liability from flawed immigration enforcement operations. They're a commonsense approach to local governance for several reasons: First, they recognize the importance of having trust among immigrant communities so the immigrants feel safe to seek City services, including from local agencies that enforce discrimination and labor laws, victim services and public health centers. Second, these policies are fiscally smart because they prioritize scarce City resources to focus on local governance and leave federal immigration enforcement up to the federal government where it squarely belongs. And finally, these policies are grounded in a bedrock constitutional principle, the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable detention by the government. Philadelphia's power to detain people rests on its power to enforce criminal laws. When ICE sends a hold request, they're effectively asking Philadelphia to detain someone for no legitimate basis, as Philadelphia has no independent authority to enforce federal immigration law. So the City is merely asking ICE to comply with the Fourth Amendment and produce a judicial warrant, which is sensible because it follows the law. But also because failing to do so can expose the city to liability. Courts have repeatedly recognized that state and local officials can be held liable for detaining people pursuant to ICE hold requests because they are merely requests. Meaning, they need not be followed.
Philadelphia's other policies that I mentioned, which limit City employees about making immigration inquiries and sharing information are also important because it ensures that City employees stay in their lane and don't go beyond their expertise. It's not the job of City workers to investigate a person's immigration status. And when that happens, it erodes trust between immigrant communities and those local agencies. It also can expose local agencies to liability, whether that be for racial profiling or other violations which violates the Constitution's core promises of equal protection under the law and the Fourth Amendment. As many of you are aware, the City of Philadelphia sued the federal government when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions attempted to deny federal funding to cities whose policies protected immigrant communities by refusing to detain people on ICE holds. That litigation resulted in a victory for the City. The Third Circuit affirmed the District Court's permanent injunction barring the federal government from withholding funding in this manner and finding that it had been unlawfully imposed. And the Third Circuit's not alone. Courts across the country for the most part agreed. And just to summarize, these are long-standing policies. These are policies that have been in place for some of them for over a decade. And they make sense not only from a fiscal standpoint, but also because it helps ensure that the City is not exposed to financial liability due to potential civil rights violations for honoring, among other things, ICE holds. And so, we really, you know, the ACLU of Pennsylvania urges the City to continue to stand firm in its commitment to being a Fourth Amendment and welcoming city. Those are what these policies do. That is who the City -- it's who the City has said that we are and we should stand firm in that. And we also welcome further discussion about ways that policies could be strengthened or added to provide further protection and make it clear that it's not the job of local authorities to engage in federal immigration enforcement. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Thank you for the opportunity to address the Committee today. My name is Harper Seldin. I'm a Senior Staff Attorney at the National ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV Project. Today I will be addressing potential threats to LGBTQ+ civil rights over the next four years and how the National ACLU along with its affiliates like the ACLU Pennsylvania will be working to protect our communities. In the past few years, there's been an enormous spike in legislative attacks on the LGBTQ community with a specific focus on transgender individuals. In 2023 and 2024, there were over a thousand anti-LGBTQ bills proposed in statehouses across the country. 137 of those bills became law on that two-year period. Thankfully in Pennsylvania of the nine discriminatory bills proposed in Harrisburg over that two-year period, none became law. But the threats to the LGBTQ community continue. The 2024 election cycle demonstrated how politicians will demonize transgender people to stoke fear and enhance their own power by eroding legal norms and civil rights protections. The goal of these attacks is to remove transgender people from all walks of public and civic life. The same politicians banning books and banning abortions are trying to force transgender people out of our communities, our schools and our workplaces. At the ACLU we anticipate that the kinds of attacks we have seen at the state level will now be replicated at the federal level. For example, we anticipate there will be efforts to restrict health care for transgender people of all ages, to prohibit schools from being open and inclusive for all students regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, to exclude transgender people from public restrooms, to make it more difficult for transgender people to obtain identity documents that reflect their gender, to strip medically necessary health care from transgender people who are incarcerated and to prevent transgender people from serving in the military. These are all part and parcel of broader attacks on the LGBTQ community and gender non-conformity. The politicians and activists bringing these attacks are using their belief that the general public is uncomfortable with transgender people as an opening to limit legal protections and opportunities for all women, people of color and immigrants. The ACLU and its affiliates are prepared to meet these attacks wherever they happen, but litigation is not the only way to keep our communities safe and welcoming for all people. Local government in collaboration with community organizers can do a great deal to protect LGBTQ communities. For example, robust enforcement of non-discrimination ordinances demonstrates that LGBTQ people are part of our community and that treating us unequally is an affront to everyone's dignity. Funding of and support for community organizations, especially those that provide health care housing and employment opportunities for LGBTQ people, can mitigate the harms that may come from decreasing support from the federal government. S. Constitution and the Pennsylvania Constitution. There may be times when there is pressure, both internal and external, to abridge the rights of disfavored minorities under the guise of public safety. The strongest bulwark against unconstitutional directives is a commitment at every level of government to protecting the civil rights and liberties of every single Philadelphian. It is not enough to say that Philadelphia is a safe place for transgender people. If transgender people cannot go to work school and public places without fear of harassment or discrimination from their fellow Philadelphians or government officials, then we have all failed. Attacks on trans people are part of a larger effort to return to rigid rules for how men and women can be in society, to erode civil rights protections and to give the government an ever- increasing role in personal decisions about our bodies and our health care.
Our country and our community depend on the freedom of all people to be themselves without fear. An attack on one group is an attack on us all. We can fight for the future we and all families deserve by pushing back against these attacks and all efforts to push people into the shadows because of who they are, who they love or where they're from. Thank you again for the opportunity to address the Committee about the threats to the LGBTQ community and transgender people in Philadelphia. The ACLU's commitment is to protecting civil liberties and how Philadelphia can protect all of its residents. I will welcome the Committee's questions.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. We'll now hear from our last witness for Panel 2 and then we'll address any questions we have for the panel at that time.
Good morning, Councilmembers. My name is Evelyn Mangold. I'm a lawyer with a Master's degree of Public Health. I'm currently a legal fellow at the Women's Law Project. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. Founded in 1974, Women's Law Project is proudly a state- based public interest legal organization that uses impact litigation, policy advocacy, direct legal assistance and community education to advance and defend gender justice in Pennsylvania and beyond. Through our advocacy, we have a deep understanding of the interplay between the federal, state and local governments and an intimate insight into the gap between the legal right to abortion and access to that care in Pennsylvania. First, I'd like to clearly state that abortion is still legal and available in the Commonwealth through weeks 4 gestation. However, compared to 5 other freedom states abortion in 6 Pennsylvania is heavily restricted. 7 These restrictions include a 8 mandatory waiting period, a 9 parental consent law and a 10 statutory ban on Medicaid coverage 11 of abortion. 12 In addition, there are 13 everyday logistical and financial 14 barriers such as arranging in 15 paying for child care, 16 transportation and travel. These 17 harmful barriers disproportionately 18 affect low-income families, people 19 of color and young people. 20 Pennsylvania and 21 Philadelphia is well-positioned to 22 expand abortion access and to 23 resist anti-abortion outreach, but we need everyone's participation. We urge you to advocate for state legislation to eliminate abortion restrictions. Specifically, we encourage you to join us in supporting legislation to eliminate Pennsylvania's antiquated physician-only law, eliminate Pennsylvania's harmful parental consent law and to enact legislation that seeks to protect our private health data from anti- abortion data collection. In addition, we urge the City of Philadelphia to enact or amend policies to explicitly center young people. We know the anti- abortion movement targets marginalized communities and leverages sexism, racism and economic scarcity to advance their agenda of forced pregnancy and child birth. But we must also acknowledge and understand how the anti-abortion movement specifically targets young members of our Philadelphia community starting at years old. 4 Perhaps the biggest 5 obstacle faced by young 6 Philadelphians seeking reproductive 7 health care is the lack of access 8 to accurate information about 9 sexual and reproductive health and 10 their rights. 11 While avoiding unregulated crisis pregnancy centers, the anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center industry has testified in the Pennsylvania Capitol about promoting a version of anti-abortion sex education in Pennsylvania schools. The scope of this operation remains unknown. These strategic efforts to target young people with ideological content instead of evidence-based information are enhanced by anti-abortion lawmakers, who have consistently opposed efforts to implement age-appropriate, evidence-based sexual education in Pennsylvania schools. We urge the City of Philadelphia to promote an education campaign to ensure young people know their rights, understand the law and are aware of safe, confidential ways to seek accurate and comprehensive care. In addition to legislation, it's critical to monitor the state courts. At Women's Law Project, we are strategically working to build state, legal and constitutional power to protect Pennsylvanians and more specifically Philadelphians from this regressive federal government. Last year in Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. DHS, we earned a victory in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania that revitalized the Pennsylvania Equal Rights Amendment of 1971. In this case, the justices overruled a 1985 precedent that inappropriately restricted the ERA from applying to laws that treat men and women differently when justified by sex-linked physical characteristics, such as the capacity to become pregnant.
This 1985 ruling greatly weakened ERA. After all, reproductive capacity has historically been the rationale for vicious sex discrimination. With this case overturned and our ERA restored to its intended power, the justices declared abortion restrictions presumptively unconstitutional in Pennsylvania. Next month we'll be back in Commonwealth Court where Women's Law Project will argue Pennsylvania's statutory ban on Medicaid coverage of abortion is unconstitutional. At Women's Law Project and in the legal field, we like to call Pennsylvania an opportunity state, because we believe there's opportunity to expand reproductive rights and access by eliminating politically manufactured barriers to accessing care, even under a hostile Trump Administration. However, progress will not happen on its own. We must be active, intentional and unwavering in our efforts to create meaningful change. We must ensure advocacy centers the individuals most vulnerable to systemic inequities. Young people, immigrants, LGBTQ+ individuals and those living in poverty. Thank you for your time and care about this critical issue.
Thank you. Thank you Panel 2 for your testimony and thank each of you for being here today. I now recognize my colleagues for any questions for Panel 2. Chair recognizes Councilmember Landau.
I just want to thank you all so much. Knowing that we have your brilliant legal minds and organizations behind us in Philadelphia is really comforting at this time.
Thank you. Thank you all for being here, and thank you for the information you share on social media that we can also share with our constituents. So thank you very, very much. Will the Clerk please now call Panel 3.
Nancy Nguyen, Reverend Josephys Dafils and Erika Guadalupe Nunez. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Thank you all so much for being here. As you approach the witness table, we will ask that you state your names for the record and then proceed with your testimony. Okay. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Hi. My name is Nancy Nguyen. Thank you, Councilmember Rue Landau, for inviting me to speak. I am the Co-executive Director as well as the Director of our Community Defense program at VietLead, a grassroots-based building organization working with Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities in the Greater Philadelphia area as well as in South Jersey. Since 2017, VietLead has supported individuals in our community who face ICE detention and deportation for old criminal convictions for which they have already served their time. These convictions could be 5, 10, 13 years old, but they are reminded at 14 each ICE check-in in how precarious 15 their lives are made by both our 16 immigration and criminal legal 17 laws. 18 Our population today in 19 Philly numbers around 30,000 20 Vietnamese, Cambodian and Lao. S. wars in Southeast Asia in the 1980s. Tens of thousands of Viet and Southeast Asian refugees were resettled in Philadelphia to a city and a country that was not ready to receive them. S. at a period of political change. Then President Reagan was ushering in a neoliberal era where wars abroad would be recast domestically as war on drugs, the war on crime and the war on poverty at home, a slate of racist policy objectives aimed at Black and Brown communities resulting in severe cuts to social programs, housing and welfare. Unknowingly, Southeast Asian refugees had left one battlefield and entered another, and the school-to-prison-to- deportation pipeline was carefully curated from the 1980s onward and cemented in the mid-1990s with the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 which would tie together the criminal legal and immigration systems until today. , has created conditions where Southeast Asian refugees are one of the communities most vulnerable and targeted for detention and deportation today. I want to name a few stories here because too often when we hear about our community in the news, when we hear about criminals and immigrants and refugees, it's too easy to forget who these people are. They are fathers and uncles and cousins, essential workers business owners and above all Philadelphians. Sereyrath One Van was picked up and detained by ICE in August 2024 for an old drug conviction after being released by ICE in the same year despite having an open U visa application, and according to ICE's own policy, should not have been detained. Wung(ph) was also recently granted a motion to reopen his case and yet ICE continues to hold him until today. He has spent six months at Moshannon, and he would otherwise be working at his brother's mechanic shop in North Philly. Pheng Seng, who we launched a national pardon's campaign for is a known community leader, formerly the President of the Southeast Asian Vendors Association at FDR Park, is also under threat for a crime he served his time for years ago. He's a 8 father of two teens and is 9 currently a business owner of 10 Unrivaled on 7th Street in South 11 Philly. 12 Zhu Bik Chu(ph) who 13 today is nearly 70 years old has 14 faced deportation for an old 15 robbery conviction up until weeks 16 before November when Governor 17 Shapiro granted him a pardon. The 18 pardon provided him relief from 19 longtime fear of being separated 20 from his family, but now his green card is in limbo under this new administration. He is the father of a Drexel graduate, has been a kitchen cook for a restaurant in Chinatown for the last two decades and is a loving husband. What we need to hear from City leadership is a resounding and absolute and clear articulation of our values as a city that we will not be bullied by the federal government and that our city is not going to allow ICE raids across the city stoking fear and creating chaos. We're heartened to hear the requests for more funding, specifically for immigration legal defense.
Just wanting to name that the majority of the folks that we work with when they were convicted of their crimes in the '90s and the 2000s, for example, had no 20 immigration legal representation and due to that, find themselves in the current situation that they do today. So we join with other organizations here and around the city to fight for increased universal legal representation. It would have prevented our folks from being in the pipeline that they're in today. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony. If you could state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good morning, everyone. My name is Erika Guadalupe Nunez and I am the Executive Director of Juntos, a Latine immigrant rights organization in South Philadelphia. For over years we fought against 19 the disinvestment, criminalization, 20 detention and deportation of our people. Today I'm here to address the School District of Philadelphia's failure to fully implement sanctuary schools and the serious consequences this has for our community. Our Sanctuary Schools Campaign emerged in response to a lack of responsiveness by the District around the 2020 detention of a pregnant newcomer mother who was detained outside of her child's school in South Philadelphia. When Juntos launched our campaign in 2021, we succeeded in passing the welcoming Sanctuary Schools resolution which called for district-wide training for all staff on managing ICE presence, a district-wide raid response protocol and a community partnership table. However, to this day none of these proposed measures have been fully implemented, leaving our community even more vulnerable than we were five years ago. Additionally, the District has cut important community supports for immigrant and newcomer students, most notably, removing the multi-lingual assessment center, the only office tasked with screening and placing newcomer youth. Juntos is a place where community members come during the hardest moments of their lives. Through our casework, troubling patterns have emerged, highlighting rights violations within Philly public schools such as gaps in language access and inadequate support for newcomers. After a newcomer immigrant youth was threatened with deportation by his school principal, Juntos supported the family through the year of 2022 and won a settlement in 2023. This settlement required more training, a review of the District's bullying and harassment policies and quarterly meeting with us throughout 2024 to design a more comprehensive newcomer program. However, despite months of attempted collaboration and research, the District has failed to move forward with our recommendations, leaving us unprepared to serve newcomer youth already in our city and those yet to come. We are not alone in this. Teachers in the District are also feeling the lack of support. In fall 2023, Juntos surveyed 152 school staff to track the progress of the sanctuary schools resolution. The results published in February 2024 were concerning. Only 56 of respondents participated in ICE-response training. 14 percent received training on using interpretation services. 19 received newcomer specific training. Additionally, only of 5 respondents believe they had enough 6 bilingual counseling assistance in 7 their schools. And only 33 percent 8 felt that their schools were 9 equipped to communicate with 10 newcomers and their families. 11 Yesterday President 12 Trump rescinded the sensitive 13 locations memo, which had 14 previously prohibited ICE agents 15 from carrying out enforcement 16 actions at sensitive locations like 17 schools, hospitals and places of worship. This memo was meant to protect vulnerable communities from being targeted in places where people should feel safe. However, as we saw with the arrest of the mother outside of her school or more recently community arrests outside our own courthouse, this policy even when in place has not often been followed. You can imagine my concern, our community's concern and when we consider what this means for us in the time ahead. And all the more reason why I'm here right now on behalf of my community to heed to you to do all you can to ensure the local sanctuary efforts we've built stand firm for the times to come. City Council must commit to ensuring that Philadelphia schools fully implement the sanctuary schools resolution which we passed four years ago, which was also endorsed by a City Council resolution that same year. Schools are a pillar of our community.
Each and every one of them has the power to ensure no child faces the trauma of seeing a parent detained alone and that every family has access to critical know-your-right resources and a pathway to connect with the diverse array of community organizations like Juntos. As we continue to fight for the establishment of an expanded newcomer program, we also call on the City Council to support us when we begin visits to discuss the funding we need to make this a reality. Right now our rough estimates are of an estimated cost of 2 million for two programs in South and Northeast Philadelphia, each with 30 seats. For context, right now there is no newcomer program for middle school students and there's not one in South Philadelphia. Our schools should be a safe space and it's time for bold action. President Trump has been clear about his harmful policies. It's time for our city to be equally clear, bold and transformative in defending our community. Sanctuary for one is sanctuary for all of us. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your work, and thank you for all of your work around the School District issues. We will take the last witness for this panel and then address any questions that we may have. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good morning. My name is Reverend Josephys Dafils. I'm the Executive Director of Haitian American United for Change. Good morning to all City Councilmembers. Thank you, City Councilmember Rue, for putting this hearing together to hear about the dire situation of immigrant and other neglected groups in Philadelphia. During the last presidential debate, President Donald Trump brought fake rumors about Haitians in Springfield, Ohio. He's saying that Haitians are abducting and eating pets. He promised to do large deportation in Springfield, an accusation of destroying the city. Haitians have been attacked at the last presidential debate. Parents kept their children at home because of fear of physical attack. Haitians in Philadelphia are dealing with the fears they will be deported when he becomes President. Many Haitians in Philadelphia are TPS holders. You may temporarily call Joe Biden's program and undocumented. It is not clear if the TPS will be given to Haitians before Joe Biden left as President and he didn't do it while he left. Haitians need the support of City Council to ensure that they apply for asylum to be protected from large deportation promised by President Donald Trump. To file for asylum, they will need lawyers to file. Both require money. Lawyers are very expensive, as you know. We need funding to get this thing done now. Haitian American United for Change has done the research. To start the process, between $1500 and $2,000 are needed per client. After filing for that protection, they will be able to find jobs or keep their job. They will be able also to pay for the rest of their legal bills. They will be able to pay rent, buy groceries and other necessities, and they will pay tax too. We also need more interpretation services at schools, hospitals and City agencies. Most of them do not speak English yet. They do not receive required services because they don't understand the language. Haitian American United for Change receive many calls from other agencies for interpretation services while they refuse or do not have funds to provide interpretation services. Funding is needed to provide proper service is for immigrant families. As an MLK state, the ultimate measure of a man is not where you stand in moment of comfort or convenience but where he stands at time of challenge and controversy. Thank you for your time. Thank you for standing with us. We shall overcome.
Thank you. Thank you so much, Reverend. Thank you for your advocacy and your great work. Just so unfortunate to hear those remarks several months back, and we value our Haitian community here and appreciate the work that we see you doing all the time. So thank you very, very much. Are there any questions for Panel 3? The Chair now recognizes Councilmember Landau. It's good to see you.
I want to -- I feel like I'm thanking every panel, but I want you to know what I heard specifically from what all three of you said. Not only did you root the struggles of your communities back into history and racist, sexist policies, xenophobic policies that were happening in the city, including when your communities got here and through now, but that we really need to buttress our forces in order to making sure that we're fighting for the future. But the historical perspective is essential and thank you for continuing to remind us of that.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Will the Clerk please call Panel 4.
Will Joseph Hohenstein, Julio Rodriguez and Steven Larin please make your way to the desk. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Thank you so much for being here, State Representative Joe Hohenstein and to all the panelists for Panel 4. We'd ask that you state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony. State Rep Joe Hohenstein, we appreciate your presence and we have you first for Panel 4. STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOHENSTEIN: I'll allow my panel members to speak first.
Surely. Thank you. Per your request, we will recognize the first two witnesses and then State Rep Hohenstein last. So please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Sure thing. Good morning. My name is Julio Rodriguez and I'm with the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition. First and foremost, thank you to Councilmember Landau for putting together today's hearing, very timely. Over the last couple days, I was just telling someone, it's only been three days and it feels like it's been months. I'm getting calls from people, what do I do, I'm scared, I don't want to go home, I don't want to go anywhere else because this is my home now. So today I'm urging the City Council to consider the four following things: Number one is to fund the universal representation program, the Philadelphia Immigrant Family Unity Project at 1.3 million. Number two is that the City upholds and defends the ICE Holds policy. Number three is to ensure that the School District fully implements the Sanctuary School resolution that Erika spoke about. And number four is supporting an Amendment to the ending the medical deportation bill 5 that we're hopeful that Councilmember Harrity will be introducing this session, which basically clarifies and makes the bill stronger. I want to start off my comments by just uplifting the immense need for there to be legal representation. And I want to say thank you to all of you for your very specific questions because when it comes to immigration, every comma and period are super important. And I'll let the next speaker talk in-depth about what's happening around legal representation but it makes a big difference. If the Laken Riley Act passes, now more than ever there's going to be a huge need, because if someone is accused of stealing something and they're an immigrant, whether that's undocumented, DACA or TPS, they could be detained without bond. There's been times where I've gone to Target and I forgot to pay for something under the cart. So I'm a U.S. citizen. But if I'm undocumented, I could be arrested and then sent to detention which on average here in Pennsylvania is usually six months. When we're talking about upholding the ICE holds policy, I've heard the same exact response from the City Solicitor. And the way that the community members are interpreting that response is that is the ceiling and to us, that's the floor. We need more than just we're going to follow this executive order. The reason being is because there's a lot of things that are coming down the pipeline. There's over 10,649 people that have temporary protected status in Pennsylvania, and nine of those countries TPS is going to end this year. So there's a discussion of, you know, the Mayor wants a cleaner, greener and safer city, but that's only going to be possible if there's people here. There's over 240,000 immigrants here in Philadelphia, so this is a really crucial issue, especially because a lot of the kids here their parents could have a mixed status. And the final thing that I'll say is just really honing in on what one of the previous speakers talked about is -- and thank you to the School District. They were one of the few government institutions that had very specific responses, but it's important now more than ever that the City Council when they're talking about the budget and the appropriation that the School District get, that they have the funding that they need to implement the program that Juntos is advocating for. Overall we're really thankful that the City Council put this together and we look forward to working with all of you.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good morning, Councilmembers. I'm Steven Larin. I'm the Deputy Director at the Nationalities Service Center. The Nationalities Service Center is one of the largest providers of services to immigrants and refugees in Philadelphia. We serve over 5,000 individuals each year from over 120 countries with a variety of services, from English classes, preparation for the citizenship test, job coaching placement, access to health services, immigration legal services, refugee resettlement and services to victims of crime. We find ourselves again planning and implementing responses to punitive anti-immigrant policies from the Trump Administration. The Administration has proposed or promised, threatened large-scale detention, mass deportation, has suspended indefinitely the Refugee Resettlement Program and a long list of other executive orders, already starting to make the situation more difficult closing CBP One, making applications for asylum at the border virtually non-existent at this point. All this is in addition to actually increasing the number of deportations. S. on their own instead of staying and living in constant fear of being suddenly torn away from their family and community. Philadelphia needs to stand against these policies and implement welcoming policies because immigrants are vital contributors to the well-being and strength of our city. In the most recent data from 2022 that Pew published, some of the data on the boards here in the room today, we know that nearly percent -- 4 immigrants are nearly 16 percent of 5 the city population. 1 out of 6 every 5 households had at least one 7 member born abroad. 8 Non-citizens were 20 9 percent of employed residents in 10 Philadelphia, and immigrants made 11 up about a third of all City 12 business owners, way beyond their 13 representation in the population. 14 I urge this Council to implement 15 policies that will live up to the 16 ideals of the City to be a city that offers welcome, refuge and opportunity to all people, to support services that will help keep families together and continue to grow the economic growth and development of this city. Let me talk specifically about some of the steps our organization along with the coalition a lot of the organizations here today are taking to prepare the community to respond to these. The day after the Presidential election one of our clients contacted us, and the question was very direct, should I still take my child to school, I'm scared of getting picked up, I'm scared of being deported and separated. These calls have only increased since that day and particularly in the last couple of days. We realize that this indicates a growing community fear and a need for information for the community. So these coalitions of legal service providers, community- based orgs are working to prepare and continue to give know-your- rights presentations, particularly what to do if ICE officers come to your home, stop you on the street, in your car, to your workplace. We're also preparing information for family members what they could do once somebody is detained, how they can find out where the family members are and, importantly, trying to train non-immigrant-specific attorneys to represent clients, particularly in bond hearings for those who are detained. But as you've heard earlier today from many, we're also trying to increase the number of immigration attorneys representing those who are detained or placed in removal proceedings. As you heard, the City supports currently the PAIFUP project. It's a collaborative of more than 20 local organizations fighting for universal representation. We launched the pilot project in 2019 with the idea of showing That it would have benefits to the residents of the city and to try to expand it into the future. We have to date represented over 200 Philadelphia clients and the project has been successful. Nationwide the success rate for detained cases that go unrepresented is 5 percent.
The success rate for detained PAIFUP clients is nearly 40 percent. For non-detained people nationwide 60 percent with lawyers win their cases compared to only percent 16 of those without a lawyer. 17 Representation matters. We strongly urge the Council to continue to increase the funding for PAIFUP to defend our Philadelphia residents. Next I'll talk about refugee resettlement. NSC is the largest refugee resettlement agency in the region. And as you've heard one of the executive orders, the President has suspended indefinitely the Refugee Resettlement Program. During his first term, refugee admissions went from approximately 85,000 during President Obama's last year to less than 12,000 in 2020. Refugees who have been waiting for years in refugee camps will no longer be admitted and those here will have to wait much longer to be reunited with family members. Just today we heard 10,000 flights were canceled, people who already had permission to enter were canceled with the suspension of the Refugee program. We also know that the Afghan community, the City welcomed Afghans at our airport. After the fall of Kabul many Afghans have resettled here, doubled in population. S. efforts in the war, are not going to be reunited with their family members for a long time as this program is suspended. There's also services that are provided to the refugees who are already here and those without funding, federal funding for those programs will not be able to continue. Additionally, we've heard that the President just issued another order essentially trying to end humanitarian parole for certain categories, certain nationalities. We're talking about Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans. These are temporary relief measures that were issued to individuals who are suffering from conflicts or natural disasters, making it unsafe for them to return to their home countries. So if these come to an end, they will be returned possibly to very dangerous situations. NSC and other service providers help families in this situation to find housing, jobs and to provide English classes, orientation, cultural orientation to being new to the city. With the uncertainty of continued federal funding for these services, we urge City Council to consider how to expand support for these types of services as well, for English classes, job training, access to temporary housing. The City did an amazing job in response to bus immigrants with a combination of City agencies and local organizations. Scaling that sort of effort would be critical to responding to this. And in all of this, language access is critical. There have been big strides in improving language access for City services and City agencies, but we get too many calls still talking about limited interpretation at schools as you heard earlier, at medical and behavioral health services and calling and not being able to receive services in your own language and also when interacting with law enforcement. So we ask the Council to consider expanding those services and making sure, as required under the law, the agencies who have to provide these services actually do when they're requested and when they're needed. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony and for also giving us that historical picture of the response from four years ago. We thank you for being here. Prior to recognizing our colleague State Representative Joe Hohenstein, we recognize the presence of Councilmember Nicolas O'Rourke. We thank you very much for being here. Would you like to be recognized?
Thank you. Thank you for being here. We'll now proceed with the testimony from State Rep Joe Hohenstein. Thank you for being here. STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOHENSTEIN: Good morning, and thank you Chair Gilmore Richardson, Councilmembers Landau, Brooks, Bass and O'Rourke. I appreciate your being here to hear my testimony. My name is Joe Hohenstein. I am the State Representative for House District 177 here in Philadelphia, and I'm here to speak on the impact of the changes in immigration law and policy that are being implemented by the second Trump Administration. My testimony is informed by more than 30 years of experience representing immigrants, including leading the 2017 litigation that was amongst the earliest to challenge the misguided and unlawful Muslim travel ban from the first Administration from Trump. And so, I want to focus on the impact that the new policies will have on my current work as a member of the House of Representatives in Pennsylvania and on all of the policies in the Commonwealth and not just in Philadelphia. And the first and most serious impact is that there's going to be a chilling effect on everyone regardless of where you were born. Now, immigrants have long been essential to our economy both here in Pennsylvania and around the nation. S. citizens often do not. -born population as well. So they are living, breathing exemplars of the American dream. And the economic harm that will happen when their lives are disrupted and the industries that they support are disrupted is going to be significant, not just for the country as a whole but here in Pennsylvania specifically. Another issue is public safety. Public safety is going to be risked because policies like the one that I proposed last year that would establish uniform procedures for the U visas, some of our previous speakers talked about the U visa crime victim protection. So my bill would have provided that uniform policy and supported crime victims in their efforts to come forward and support prosecution and to make our communities safer. Now, those are really good tools, these visas, for prosecutors and again for those of us who are really interested in making sure our neighborhoods are safe. But when folks don't feel comfortable coming forward, when they feel as a victim of crime that if they come forward they're going to be deported, they won't do it. And that's one of the problems that we're seeing with the new policies that are going to have that chilling effect. And finally, I supported a bill and continue to support the bill that would provide driver's licenses for all people. And one of the key factors here is to recognize -- I'm doing this together with my colleague representative Danilo Burgos from here in Philadelphia, but the people eligible under our proposal are all taxpayers because a tax identification number is part of the eligibility requirement, and this again makes people safer, provides an inroad for the contributions that immigrants make into our communities to be better recognized and frankly to be better counted when we talk about the taxes that get collected, the fees that are collected for registration and the additional insured motorists that are on the road as a result. And we would be doing this in joining a number of our neighbors. All of the states around us have policies that do provide for some type of driver registration for people who don't have complete immigration documentation because they recognize this impact on the economy and on public safety. So why is this important? Because when people are forced into the shadows, bad things happen. And I say that with complete irony, recognizing the last person to say that in any significant way. But immigrants and all people are more likely to get exploited at work, to be the victims of crime or frankly just simply not able to support their families as well as they can if these policies go into effect and if they are driven into the shadows.
The industries that they work in suffer along with the entire economy and all working people will see things like grocery prices go up because of disruption in our agriculture and food chain. Now, the President has convinced a lot of people that immigrants are more likely to do harm than to do good, but that's simply not true. S. immigration history, we see that economic prosperity has come when we have been at our most welcoming. S. immigration law was updated and revised in a bipartisan fashion. S. Citizenship for undocumented people. And that was done frankly every six or seven years during that time period for about 35 years. Then we stopped, and we started doing immigration revisions that focused on enforcement and did not provide that release of what I call the pressure valve that comes when you have a significant and large undocumented population. And so, right now one of the impacts that we see because we have such a large undocumented population is a broader income disparity. We have a larger income disparity from poor to rich than we have ever seen in at least the last years. So anti-immigrant policies, they don't support working people. They support the rich. So what do we do now? S. standing up and being the conscience of the country. Those of us who have privilege and a measure of the protections that are provided to us because of our positions in society, we have to stand up for the people who don't have privilege, for the people who live on the margins. And I know I'm here predominantly to speak on the anti- immigrant issues, but I will also say as the parent of a trans person this is affecting the marginalized LGBTQ+ folks in our communities as well. So we need to make sure that we're clear in a message that America is going to be based on a government by and for and of the people and not just rich and powerful people. So I want to close with this: I see my support for immigrants and other marginalized communities being based in my value, in my belief in the value of all people, all working people, all people who are participants in our community. And I want to note organized labor was borne out of immigrant communities from the coal mines in Pennsylvania to the sweat shops of New York to grape harvest in California, and all of those folks are again exemplars of the American dream. And I consider my work for immigrants to be the same as my work on behalf of all of the folks in my neighborhoods. And I want to make sure that I'm supporting what everyone one wants, which is safer communities, good jobs and better futures for our kids. And that is the common ground on which we need to stand against the people who would divide us. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you so much, State Rep Joe Hohenstein, and thank you for your time and for joining us here in Philadelphia City Council, and we know that we have a responsibility to be the conscience of this country and ensure that we're doing all that we can with our positions of leadership and responsibility to represent the people of Philadelphia, many of whom fit so neatly into a number of those categories that you have mentioned and that have been mentioned in the actual resolution. So I appreciate everything that you stated this afternoon and I really thank you for taking the time to be here and for co-sponsoring the legislation Rep Burgos and for all the work that you all will do in this legislative session. Okay. Thank you so much. STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOHENSTEIN: Thank you.
The Chair recognizes Councilmember Landau for any remarks or questions for Panel 3. And I wanted to thank you all as well for being here. Thanks again for all of you, Rep Hohenstein, who also taught my immigration clinical in law school. Appreciate you laying the foundation for me. I love to watch that our agencies and organizations are working together. We couldn't make panels of for all of you and we are excited to hear from more people during public comment, but know this is just the beginning of the conversation with us. We clearly have a strong relationship, city and state. And we also want to make sure that we are in ongoing conversations with all of you throughout as we all weather this storm together.
Any additional questions for this panel? (No response.)
Okay. Seeing none, we thank you all so very much for being here. We appreciate your testimony. And also, if you have written testimony, can you submit that for dissemination to the Committee and for this hearing and for the stenographer. You can give that to the Sergeant-at-Arms so that we have copies for the stenographer and for the Committee. Okay. All right. Thank you very, very much. We're now going to proceed with those who have signed up to give public comment for today's hearing and we appreciate your patience as we were able to get through those panels. As a reminder, I stated this at the onset of this hearing, we have another hearing with our Legislative Oversight Committee. I was mistaken. I thought it was 1:00. It's actually 2:00. Okay. And so, we do have another hearing in this room that we will need time to turn this room around for that hearing as well. And please know that we greatly appreciate your presence and you being here. If you have written testimony, please submit that for the record and summarize your testimony. I am looking at three pages of witnesses. And so, in order for us to get through the amount of individuals who are here to provide public comment and we want to hear from each of you, I am respectfully requesting that you summarize your testimony and try to keep it to a minute. I know that's very difficult to ask for the time that you have been here, but I want to ensure that we hear from each and every one of you who have come to provide public comment because we do value your presence and we value you being here. Okay. All right. So will the Clerk please call, you can do it in groups of four. Please call the first four witnesses to give public comment.
Maureen Smith, Sarah Hammond, Cathryn Miller-Wilson and Diamond Anthony. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Okay. Just as a correction, Maureen Smith is here on behalf of Anuj Gupta for the Welcoming Center. Okay. Please approach the witness table. State your name for the record and proceed with your a summarized version of your public comment.
My name is Maureen Smith. I'm here on behalf of Anuj Gupta, the CEO of the Welcoming Center. He came to this body years ago to provide 21 testimony regarding his vision to 22 make Philadelphia an attractive 23 destination for immigrants, not only to foster a more inclusive community but also to put Philadelphia on a path towards sustainable, economic growth. At that time, peer cities across the nations were experiencing significant increases in foreign-born residents alongside economic transformation. The same could be said for Philadelphia. The population had declined to levels not seen since the First World War and discussions of immigrant integration were notably absent from political discourse. Since then we have seen a significant shift in policy, posture and investment around immigrant integration. Thanks to the work of prior administrations and City Councils, we are now the largest certified welcoming city in the United States. Foundational executive orders signed by prior mayors have solidified our commitment to language access, nondiscrimination, upscaling immigrant talent and prohibiting City employees from inquiring about immigration status. These policies have served as building blocks for a stronger Philadelphia, fostering deep trust and ensuring equal access to services for all residents. Intentionally encouraging immigrants to call Philadelphia home has reversed the decades of population decline. Immigrants are now driving our city economic resurgence, comprising nearly a third of Labor growth since 2010. Data shows that immigrants tend to be significantly more entrepreneurial opening businesses at twice the rate of native-born residents. Should I go on?
Okay. So projections show that Philadelphia population is expecting to reach 1.8 million by 2050. And while many U.S. cities face projected population loss, this is a trend that can be countered with sustained efforts to force a welcoming environment. Philadelphia is at the forefront of bridging the gap between immigrant talent and the U.S. labor force. Our approach to immigrant integration offers a model for national economic and community development positioning the City as a leader in sustainable and practical solutions. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony. Good to see you again. It was wonderful to be at the Welcoming Center in December, so thank you so much for being here. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Good afternoon. My name is Cathryn Miller-Wilson. I'm the Executive Director of Highest Pennsylvania. Highest Pennsylvania has been around since 1882. We provide free immigration legal services and social services to low-income immigrants in Pennsylvania. I'm happy to be here. Quick question for the record, how many of you are descendants of Native Americans? Raise your hands. One, two, three, four -- four. I would like the record to reflect that there are four descendants of Native Americans. The rest of the room is under attack, so we need to be really, really shoring up our policies much more than we ever have before because half of the people in our city are about to be sent away. There is likely to be violence against them. Calling an invasion is what -- like, are we being invaded by ourselves because that's what's happening. So we need to really be speaking out strongly and firmly. I very much appreciate my colleague's testimony about the statistics that she provided and I would like them to be reiterated multiple times throughout the record. As this city struggles with poverty, note that losing half or more of our residents is going to plunge more people into poverty. So every single thing that we should do in the next four years should be about sustaining and protecting the residents of our city and of our state. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your work and thank you for being here. Please approach the witness table. State your name for the record and proceed with your public comment. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Thank you. Can you hear me okay? Okay. My name is Sarah Hammond and I am here on behalf of Fairness Pennsylvania. We are currently the only statewide LGBTQ+ legislative advocacy organization focused on fighting, not just protecting but advancing the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ individuals here in the keystone state and in the halls of Harrisburg. I really want to take the opportunity to applaud Philadelphia's longstanding commitment to being a welcoming, inclusive city where all individuals regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity can live with dignity and safety. As someone who's from Lancaster County, Pa, my lived experiences growing up as a queer woman in that area are quite different to the security that I feel coming in here today. So your efforts to protect and uplift the LGBTQ+ community over generations are deeply appreciated and continue to set a powerful example for other municipalities across the Commonwealth. However, the fight for full equality is not over. And while Philadelphia leads with progressive policies, especially at the municipal level here, our state still lacks comprehensive protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in employment, housing and public accommodations. So I'm here to appeal to you today that it is crucial that Philadelphia lead and lend the weight of your voice. It's very powerful, the privilege that comes with being appointed to the highest offices, not just here in Pennsylvania but really as a pillar of what's built this nation here, I really implore you to continue to work with legislators and activists at the state level to help ensure the same protections here and to make sure that we are able to keep everyone, especially members of our trans and nonbinary community safe as the next four years progress. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for being here and thank you for your public comment. If the Clerk could please call the next four witnesses that we have for public comment.
Thank you all so much for being here. I ask that you please approach the witness table. You can state your names for the record and proceed with your testimony. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
If the Clerk could please repeat those names again. I only see three people.
Okay. You can please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Hi. My name is Zique Powell and I am a co-founder of the Black Visioning Group, a group that actually was borne out of a moment out of the Trump Administration in 2020 when things had escalated in the uprising to the point where the National Guard was closing down grocery stores. What we do is we are a grassroots-privately run and privately-funded survival program. We have guaranteed income, transitional housing that we're looking into as well as securing basic housing for people. In the minute I have I just didn't -- sorry, my phone. There we go. So I want to thank you all for this, and we are currently in the process of gathering the data that we were adding to the overwhelming data that guaranteed it to come as a public good and we're thinking beyond this four years, because actually like we're in the fifth year of Trump, you know. And rather than testifying to the difficulties, I would like to speak to potential solutions that we could do at a City level and the state level with resources we already have. For example, our private income, our GEI program comes from private funds and foundational funds, but there are City funds available that can be allocated to creating basic income programs that include housing for vulnerable people. Because when we talk about these demographics, we tend to think of them as separate people. But we have in our collective, we have undocumented Black queer, trans Philadelphians. And so, it is important to think out of the box. Let's get creative. Let's get radical. Let's get crazy. So these are just some of the ideas that I had off the top of my head. So funding exists already in the form, like if you think of specifically North Philly Kensington, there's the opioid settlement. And the 3 million that comes per year can be rather than shuffling people through the nonprofit industrial complex of moving people through, why not just give people money directly to live. Why not make developers accountable to the displacement they create for every year that properties go empty, then require them to put people in the houses and create stewardship for the houses because living in a house is a skill you. Other ideas that I had -- I don't know how long I have. I should have printed things out, but whatever, I'm old. There's also TANF monies. There's TANF money that has been spent researching guaranteed income. That can go directly to people.
Wrapping up. These programs can be niche and a mix of privately and municipally and state-funded. We are in the process still of gathering coalition and really getting the people on the ground to the point where they realize that -- well, a lot of people in Philly have lost hope on the ground that they don't believe that there's a better way possible. And we just have an opportunity here, so thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your work and thank you for your testimony, for your public comment today. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good afternoon, Councilmembers. My name is Zach Wilcha. My pronouns are he/him, and I'm CEO of the Independence Business Alliance Greater Philadelphia's LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. As part of the Diverse Chambers Coalition, we provide connections, opportunities and resources to LGBTQ+ businesses, professionals and allies. I want to thank you first, Councilmember Landau, for your efforts in coordinating these hearings for LGBTQ+ and other intersecting marginalized communities. And while we're very proud to have you as our first ever out elected Councilmember, it is vital that the protections we're talking about today at this historic moment be supported by your allied colleagues on Council and in this Administration. It is a time when we must all tap into our courage as allies to stand shoulder-to- shoulder against the initiatives headed our way. And so, I commend all Councilmembers who are here today to hear the concerns of the community and turn our words into action. I joined my community colleagues here today in outrage and heartbreak about the initial slate of executive orders that this administration directly targets LGBTQ+ communities and undo the progress brought about by previous administrations, not to mention the ones that challenge the very existence of trans people. Alongside those are proposals that deeply affect queer communities, whether they affect immigration through unconstitutional attacks on legal status or they're trying to make America sick again by targeting Medicare prescriptions or life- saving HIV treatment and prevention drugs. Whether or not these orders are legally sound is unclear, but nonetheless they are strong indicators of this Administration's intentions and that we have our work cut out for us. Philadelphia remains a relatively affordable and culturally rich place for queer people to land and call home. In fact, many consider Philadelphia a sanctuary city for queer and trans people. And we would urge you to work with any of the orgs testifying today, including our own, with the first in the nation trans program to make that there are jobs and affirming workspaces for these folks to take advantage of and self-determined as Philadelphians. We can bring more people to the city who can successfully work and add to our vibrant community in so many ways. And of course while it's not the most pressing issue, Philadelphia remains the largest city in the country that does not consider queer-owned businesses as part of their definition of diverse business enterprises. But the best news is about these pre-existing structures to fight the Trump Administration in Philadelphia is that we already have so many administrations here that have been doing the work for decades. I would encourage you, if you haven't already gotten to know us, to do so now. There is no need for the City of Philadelphia's resources to duplicate the work that we are already doing, but there is a great need for the City to help us find resources so that we can remain subject matter experts and boots on the ground for the important work necessary to fortify our community against these threats. So finally, I will leave you with these two thoughts: When fighting for gay rights decades ago, several high-profile national organizations left trans folks behind as they tried to make community support more palatable to people who were never ever going to love us. I want to make clear that a fight for queer rights without centering trans folks who are under the most scrutiny at this moment is unacceptable and a failure of organizational strategy. We can and will do better in 2025.
And finally, in a viral clip yesterday Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde preached a sermon directly to the President, Vice- president and their families sitting in the front pew imploring them for mercy in the broadest sense and recounting to them the very real fears and the immeasurable value of LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities, how we are just as much a part of the American story as anyone else. It was a brave and powerful moment and it was the perfect example of not obeying fascism in advance. I believe we would be wise to follow her lead and never back away from defending communities that make Philadelphia the incredible city that it is. We will look forward to fighting with you and I thank you for your time.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony and thank you for all of your work. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
My name is Jillian Gierke and I serve as the Director of Programs at the Garces Foundation where we proudly support Philadelphia's immigrant community through vital education and health care programs. Our community members are the backbone of this city. They work tirelessly in restaurant kitchens, remove asbestos from our schools and deliver nourishment to our homes and workplaces, just to name a few. Their contributions are essential to making Philadelphia a better, stronger and safer place to live. And today I'm here to share some of the deep fears and growing concerns within our community. Many feel that Philadelphia is no longer a sanctuary city, a place where they can live, work and thrive without fear. Members of the LGBTQ community are terrified of being deported back to countries where they face violence and persecution. Parents dread the possibility of being separated from their children. Workers hesitate to show up at work. Students fear gathering in public spaces for English classes, and community organizations like ours are struggling with the lack of clear information to help prepare our neighbors for the increased presence of ICE. We must do better. As Philadelphians, we are united by a shared responsibility to protect and uplift one another regardless of where we come from. And I want to thank City Councilmembers for organizing everything today, for having these hearings. And to our Mayor Parker, we urgently need your leadership and commitment to reaffirm Philadelphia as a sanctuary city. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your public comment. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment. MS. McCOY: Hello and good afternoon. My name is Mx Deej McCoy. My pronouns are they/them/theirs. I was born and raised in Philadelphia and I am nonbinary. I did not grow up in an environment that positively discussed or encouraged anything outside of cisgender heteronormative relationships. But once I was old enough to understand gender and gender roles, I knew that I didn't agree with the gender I was assigned at birth but didn't have the vocabulary to communicate that to my family of origin. I am 36 years old and this is the most authentic I have felt about who I am. Trans and nonbinary people are not a threat. We are trying to survive and thrive like everyone else. We want happy fulfilling lives just like everyone else. We want to make decisions for our lives that will have the best outcome for us in the long term. Kids are smarter than adults give them credit for, especially when it comes to identity. Identity is a personal individual matter. No two people born with the same reproductive organs are the same. We're supposed to encourage the creativity of our children, not stuff them in a boring box of inexpression and adult responsibilities. This is how they expand and become well-rounded and diverse human beings. We're supposed to learn and grow as new information becomes available, not turn a blind eye, dig one's heels into the sand and ignore newly-confirmed information. When people are allowed to indulge in their unique interests and explore the world with support and necessary accommodations, people can soar and go on to contribute so much to society. Trans kids become trans adults who want to participate in society and make it better. Please don't let this new Administration put targets on our backs just because they don't share or understand our gender experience. Thank you.
Thank you and thank you very much for sharing and thank you so much for your public comment and for all you've done to be here today. We appreciate you so much. Will the Clerk please call the next witnesses to testify.
Celeste Chavez-Gamboa, Nathan Osburn, Jerrett Johnson and Asa Khalif.
Okay. Please approach the witness table. State your names for the record and proceed with your testimony. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Once again that's Celeste Chavez-Gamboa, Nathan Osburn, Jerrett Johnson and Asa Khalif.
Okay. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon, Councilmembers. Asa Khalif, activist, organizer here in Philadelphia. And I believe it's one minute so we'll try to make it count. My testimony today is on police violence and how it affects LGBTQ people of color, specifically Black queer people in the community. As a Black man who is also a proud member of the LGBTQ community, I'm very much aware of the long history of police violence and discrimination experienced by Black queer people and the pain, fear and trauma it leaves behind, trauma that many black queer people wrestle with every day, trauma that affects our mental health, our physical health, our relationships and even how we function on our job. It certainly doesn't help lower the anxiety now that Trump is back in office. His comments in the past praising and encouraging police violence is a constant reminder to Black queer people to be on alert to regroup, to organize like never before, to face our fears and fight. In closing, I would like to thank Councilmember Rue Landau and those who helped her with this hearing for today's hearing. My hope is that strong unbreakable coalitions are built here today. I also finally would like to say the name of my dear friend Nizah Morris, a Black trans woman who unfortunately wasn't protected by law enforcement in her time of need. Her family, friends and activists will continue to say her name and demand that every police officer involved with her case is held accountable. Justice for Nizah Morris and all victims of police violence. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for your public comment and thank you for your advocacy. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Jerrett Johnson. Good afternoon, Councilmember, Councilpeople. I'm a volunteer and advocate for 5th Square as well as a couple of organizations. I'll be short and sweet. I got four words to say, we're in this together. Thank you for everything that you do and I'm talking about the citizens in Philadelphia. As I look around the room, this is America. I mean, look around the room, different ethnicities, LGBTQ, Hispanic, White, Black, Asians with different professions, entrepreneurs. This is what America is all about. We face challenges with this administration ahead, but I will do my part to protect and defend the citizens of Philadelphia as a native Philadelphian myself. I also welcome everyone to join the organizations like every organization here in Philadelphia. And I'd like to give a shout-out to you, Councilmember Landau. Thank you for setting this up today, and you've seen me a few times already with the many organizations that I've been a part of and you're welcome to come in any time. Stay strong, y'all. Finally, I got one last question to ask: And I think I thought about this on Monday. How can Donald Trump, the President of the United States, call immigrants violent offenders when he released 1,500 rioters who stormed Capitol Hill? Think about that. I think about that. I mean, that's something to think about. So we must stand strong. I don't know a lot of you, but I love you all. You're my friends, my neighbors and love will always conquer hate. Thank you for your time.
Thank you. Thank you very, very much for your advocacy and your testimony and thank you for being here today. Will the Clerk please call the next four witnesses here to testify.
Please approach the witness table. Please state your names for the record and then you can proceed with your testimony. As a reminder, please try to keep your public comment to a minute, if possible. I know that's a lot to ask and we do appreciate you all being patient with us and for being here throughout the hearing, but we do also need to give the stenographer a break between the first hearing and the second hearing. Okay. So I just wanted to state that for the record. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Please state your name and proceed with your public comment.
Hello. My name is Jadzia Axelrod. I'm a mother, a lesbian, a trans woman. I am an author who's written books about trans teenagers. I used to be a journalist at Philadelphia Weekly and until recently I was the Assistant Director of Philadelphia Family Pride. Through my work at Philadelphia Family Pride, I've learned that people come to Philadelphia for their gender- affirming care from states and cities where that care is now legal. Philadelphia is a sanctuary, not just for its citizens but also for the people of other cities and states whose leadership has failed them. We are a beacon of hope for so many. Gender-affirming care saves lives. I know this because it saved mine and allowed me to live long enough to write books that people have told me saved their lives. I am asking for a commitment from the City of Philadelphia to protect the care for trans people even if that goes against Presidential orders, that trans medication and surgeries will still be available in this city. Local leadership can step up where our national leadership has failed us. Thank you.
Thank you. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Olivia Ponce. Good to see you again. And I have lived in Philadelphia for just over years. I am a part of 13 the Mexican community. I am a 14 woman of color and I am an 15 immigrant. 16 Today I'm here before 17 you to raise my voice against the 18 policies of the new government 19 because we know this system is 20 designed for criminalize us. I am 21 here to say -- I'm here to say that 22 we know our rights and we fight for 23 them. We are (inaudible) for uniform and we demand the security sanctuary. I have a question for all of you. My community asked me, Philadelphia is sanctuary city and I ask you is it a real sanctuary city. I'm not sure about that. I want to stay with my community together in their classroom, their jobs and their homes without fear. Stop criminalizing us because of our eyes or our skin and color. A criminal is a criminal because of their action. Stop using the political purpose for designing us. It's important to know (inaudible) and to our leader empower with (inaudible). We are a part of the city. We are a part of here. We contribute to the economy and we start business and we are the primary workforce. We know the importance of the immigrant in this country, and the country founded by immigrant assistance by them. We are here right now. We are existent and please don't criminalize us, and make sure the Philadelphia is a sanctuary city. Thank you.
Thank you very much for your public comment. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Brooks.
Olivia, I just want to -- Olivia. I just want to thank you for your continued advocacy. We go way back from fighting for schools so it's really good to see you still in the fight. And to your question, I can't answer that, and that's why we're here today to figure out how to better help you answer that question to your community. Thank you.
Thank you, Vice-Chair Brooks. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Good afternoon. My name is Kristina Moon. I use she/her pronouns and I'm a senior attorney with Education Law Center of Pennsylvania. We are hearing from immigrants and LGBTQ students that they fear for their safety and worry their schools will not protect them. All public district and charter schools in Philadelphia must ensure they have a formal policy and detailed plan to protect the rights of immigrant students from ICE raids and commit to comprehensive training for all staff. All staff at all schools should receive regular reminders that the law prohibits schools from asking for Social Security or citizenship information, and student information cannot be shared to ICE or police without court order or parent consent. ELC supports the District's welcoming schools policy championed by Juntos and we join their demand that the District fully implement and train staff on that policy in addition to adding more newcomer programs that are desperately needed. The urgency identified by Council is appropriate. We need trainings rolled out immediately and more comprehensively. For our LGBTQ students, all district and charter schools are required to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation under both the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Anti- Discrimination Laws. Recent executive orders from President Trump do not impact state and local laws nor can they rewrite Title and case law. All 8 Philly public schools, including 9 charters, must support trans students to participate in school programs and facilities aligned with their gender identity without misgendering or other discrimination. Together we can ensure all our students receive an education that prepares them for success, provides a safe place for learning and honors their history and experiences. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your public comment. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Yeah. Hi. I'm Tremain Smith and I'm here along with some other volunteers as part of the organization Showing Up For Racial Justice, SURGE. We're here to support you in this commitment to stand up against the harmful executive orders and policies and to be an active part of the movement to stand up for human rights and dignity in face of these dangerous and immoral actions that Trump plans to carry out. Showing Up For Racial Justice has organized a protect and resist pledge that is in complete alignment with this Trump preparedness hearing today. It states, I pledge to show up to protect the rights, safety and dignity of people in my community and resist Trump's anti-democratic and immoral agenda consistent with the principles of nonviolence. We're here just to ask City Councilmembers to join hundreds of other public officials around the country with this pledge, just signing this pledge. Basically this was a perfect opportunity and thank you for it. The pledge is -- we will email it to each of your offices. It can be found at protectandresist.com. It is a nationwide effort so there are local leaders. People in power signed this pledge all across the country. And our group would be happy also to meet with you and see how we can support your continuing efforts. We're here. We want to support everything and join the resistance in Philadelphia against these harmful policies however they will manifest in our city together. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for that offer. We look forward to receiving the email and thank you for your public comment. The Chair recognizes the presence of Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr. of the 4th District. We appreciate your presence this afternoon. Will the Clerk please call the next witnesses who are here to provide public comment.
Okay. Please approach the witness table. You each can state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
You can have a seat at the witness table and just state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment. Okay.
Hello, everyone. Thank you so much. My name is Minh Nguyen. Thank you to City Council and everyone present today. Thank you to Councilwoman Rue Landau and Chairwoman Gilmore Richardson. My name is Minh Nguyen. I'm speaking on behalf of Liberty City and the Executive Board at Political Action Committee that endorses and promotes pro-LGBTQ candidates for office, and we have endorsed several members of this Council. Founded in 1994, Liberty City is an advocacy organization that builds political power for the Philadelphia area lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. We build political power and promote candidates and causes in alignment with our shared values. Through our LGBTQ questionnaires, candidate forums, endorsement process, GOTV campaigns and other programs, Liberty City does work in order to empower our community. Councilwoman Landau was previously on the Board of Liberty City, and I believe you were Co-chair at one point. Thank you for your incredible work and all of the amazing advocacy for the LGBTQ community. From the bottom of our heart we thank you for all of your work and to the rest of City Council. I ask this government and the City to defend and protect LGBTQ and immigrant communities. We face discrimination, ostracism, harassment, assault and violence. Since the departure of Celena Morrison as the Executive Director of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs and the nationwide search for a new ED has commenced, we request that City Council and the Mayoral administration work towards identifying and installing a new ED for this institution with community and organizational input. We also understand there's a vacancy at the Office of Immigrant Affairs. LGBTQ individuals exists in all communities and we work in intersectional alignment. As an immigrant born in South Vietnam from the remnants of the Vietnam War, I stand with immigrant communities. All who have had complex multi-faceted immigration journeys, you make this city beautifully diverse, you make this city better, you make this city stronger. Furthermore, Philadelphia has been designated a sanctuary city since 2016. We call on this administration to enforce its full powers to publicly uphold this designation as a sanctuary city. We also call for the Mayoral administration to empower and entrust the newly-formed Mayor's LGBTQ Commission, some of whom are members of our organization with vested authority to enact initiatives and programming to positively impact our communities. Lastly, in light of President Donald Trump's executive order and revocation of previous executive orders protecting LGBTQ individuals, Liberty City issued a formal response on Tuesday, January 21st. It reads quickly, President Trump begins his presidency by seeking to actively harm transgender and LGBTQ Americans and their families with his newly- signed executive orders. Instead of helping Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, he's choosing to divide and undermine non-discrimination protections. His executive orders will make it harder for LGBTQ Americans to find and maintain employment, provide for families, better themselves through educational advancement and continue to contribute to their communities. The President has a sacred duty to protect Americans traveling abroad. But by denying American citizens passports that match their appearance, he paints targets on the backs of transgender and non-conforming-gendered Americans. President Trump further moves to target incarcerated transgender --
Yes. Furthermore, we are committed to holding President Trump and the government accountable and working with our local elected officials to step up to protect transgender Americans, our LGBTQ community and their families. Thank you so much.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony and thank you for being here. The Chair recognizes the presence of Councilmember Young. Councilmember Young stepped in the chambers for a moment. Thank you for being here. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Yes, of council. My name is Mijuel K. Johnson and I am a member of the citywide committee of Reclaim Philadelphia. I just want to say that our city has a particular role to stand as an example for the rest of the country, the city that has birthed the United States and has a special symbolism when it comes on to protecting the rights of our citizens. Given that we now have a president who is willing to essentially override what we have fought for so long. It is incredibly imperative that the City of Philadelphia stand up for the rights of our people. Our city more than any other however has a position where it can command the respect of other nations abroad. The mother city of the nation should never have to beg the nation for anything. What we want our city to do is to make sure that it protects the rights of all marginalized people and continue to do so. Under this Administration we know that's going to be difficult. But as our second president John Adams has stated, A free Constitution of civil government cannot be purchased at too dear a rate; as there's nothing on this side of Jerusalem of equal importance to humanity. Our city, which birthed the American Constitution, has a particular role in its protection. And I would like for us here today to make sure that we are going to do everything that we can to make sure that liberty rules this country, not fascism in the form of Donald Trump. Thank you.
Thank you. It's good to see you. Thank you for your public comment. Thank you for being here. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Sure. Good morning or good afternoon by now. Hi, everyone. My name is Rosanna Matos, and I am a member of the Public Policy Team at First Up - Champions for Early Education. I want to say thank you for Rue Landau. We did have an opportunity to meet on MLK Day as we served at Girard College. And here with my colleague Sim Loh. There's a lot of concerns that have been addressed already. One of the concerns that I like to hear about is our 0 to population, our early 4 childhood education children. We 5 heard about the K to 12 with the Philadelphia School District and charter Schools, but there's students out there and teachers out there that are not in that category. There's 0 to 5 teachers, teachers that teach our infants, teachers that teach toddlers and preschoolers. And I want to make sure that the City is remembering that population of teachers and students. Right now there is immigrant families that have called and have made aware that they are scared to take their children to school, and it's not only the K to 12 schools. It is 0 to 5 as well. As I drove over here to the city and I passed through the Parkway and I see all the flags and this is the city of Philadelphia where we respect and welcome immigrant families. Those flags are that reminder to you all. So as you drive through there, remember all the stories you heard today and remember the immigrant families that we're serving. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for your work with our young people. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Good afternoon, Councilmembers. My name is Sim Loh. I'm also part of the First Up Public Policy Team. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that has been serving early educators and child care providers across Southeastern Pennsylvania for nearly 60 years. So in addition to what my colleague here has shared about the chilling effects the current administration's immigration policy has on children, families and also educators, I would also like to share something more alarming on a federal level, which is the proposed elimination of Department of Education and Head Start program. Head Start program is a vital program that provides educational opportunities for children for the most vulnerable group, those that live in poverty, those experiencing homelessness or those in our foster care system. Without Head Start, thousands of children in Philadelphia, those most at risk, will lose access to critical resources to help them to break the cycles of poverty and also set them on the path to success. And the proposed eliminations of the Department of Education would also undermine federal funding program like the Preschool Development grant Title 1 IDEA, which help ensure children, particularly those with disabilities, to thrive. We hear about chilling effects that keep families from sending their children to school, but the chilling effects also affect educators. We have educators from mixed-status families that say they might want to quit the field because of the fear. We also hear that many teachers might leave the field because they fear that if I knock on the door, they will be held liable, right. So this will cause -- this will exacerbate the teacher shortage crisis that we are facing which further will reduce enrollment, classroom closure and program closure and further limiting access to child care programs, child care services for all Philadelphians. This is also an economy issue. The Pennsylvania Chamber of Labor and Industry have stated that lack of access to child care is actually a driven factor of a workforce crisis. We need everyone regardless of backgrounds who are willing to work and want to work is supported with services like childcare. I will conclude my testimony today by thanking the City Council, all of you. The City Council in this city has been standing with early educators, childcare providers, children and families. You have been showing your commitment through innovative programs like the Philly PreK. So we ask you to continue to do so. And I ask you to also think about additional ways to support early educators and also the child care profession should the sector be affected when these proposed policies take effect. And lastly, just as you have been a support to us and a resource to the city of Philadelphia, I offer First Up as a resource to you as well. We are ready to work together with you and ensure that every child, every family regardless of background or immigration status or their skin color has the opportunity to thrive and success. So I thank you for your time and we will stay here until the end of this. So if you have any questions, we welcome the conversations. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for that offer to continue the partnership and working together. We appreciate you being here. Will the Clerk please call the next group to testify.
Okay. If you all could please approach the witness table. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
Please state your names for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Good afternoon. My name is Jenny Zhang. I live in Chinatown and I'm the Philadelphia organizer with Asian Pacific Islander Political alliance. We're a Pennsylvania statewide Asian American organization and we've been advocating for Asian immigrant communities throughout the state. In Pennsylvania as of 2024, over half of the AAPI population of over 600,000 are immigrants, with the highest number of AAPIs in population in Philadelphia and with 39 percent of the immigrant population in Philadelphia being Asian. The AAPI population and community is an important part of the fabric of Philadelphia. We see it every day in different neighborhoods throughout the city, Chinatown, Little Saigon, Cambodia Town and others, and we see that immigrants documented and undocumented are an essential and priceless part of what makes Philadelphia special. With the inauguration of Donald Trump a few days ago, it is more important than ever that Philadelphia recommits to the protection of immigrants and marginalized communities in Philadelphia. The attacks on our communities have been ongoing, but they will get worse in these upcoming years. Our communities are facing the very real threat of the loss of birthright citizenship, deportation and separation of families, and our city cannot stand idly by. We need our city to commit to protecting its people as a sanctuary city. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your public comment. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
I'm Lynn Lan -- oh, is this on? Yes. I'm Lynn Landes of Safestreetsphilly.org -- is it on, yes?
Okay. I'm Lynn Landes of Safestreetsphilly.org and the mother of two adult sons who were naturalized citizens. They came to the U.S. as legal immigrants. I urge the City to work in a cooperative relationship with the Trump Administration whose immigration policy I support. The Philadelphia Sanctuary City policy is a blatant violation of commonsense and federal law under Title 8 and is responsible for the big mess we have before us now. Regarding the transgender community, biological males do not have the right to violate women's rights to their own sports, grants and private spaces. Lastly, District Attorney Krasner's recent threats against the January 6ers is deeply disturbing considering he refuses to fully enforce local, state and federal law, particularly against the rioters during the George Floyd riots. In fact, during those riots my neighbors and I were protecting Walgreens and other areas around our neighborhood without the protection of the police who apparently were told to stand down. The City of Philadelphia needs to look into fully enforcing the law. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your public comment. Will the Clerk please call the next witnesses to provide public comment.
Diamond Anthony, Pheng Seng and Tyrell Brown. (Witnesses approached Witness table.)
State your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
My name is Pheng Seng. Yeah, I'm kind of a little nervous. But, hello. My name is Pheng Seng. I am one of VietLead's impacted leaders and returning citizen that is on the deportation list. I'm also a small business owner who lives in Philadelphia that do union screenprinting. I am one of 16,000 Southeast Asian people who is waiting to be deported. I just want to say that Philadelphia has been a great vibrant, thriving, beautiful immigrant- and refugee- friendly sanctuary city that's been opening up doors for all types of immigrants and community members, and we are all united trying to build towards a community that protects our most vulnerable. We need to keep this city a sanctuary city. I don't know what's next for the four years, it's going to look like under the new administration. But I know that with so much great elected officials that's in the city of Philadelphia that understand and care about our immigrant- and refugee-friendly folks. We are a city that's going to win because we have a community that cares. I was locked up inside Moshannon Valley Correctional Center for five years and had to be held in ICE custody for a few months before being able to be released back home to my family and friends and community members who were less fortunate. I was able to come home to see both of my parents who are getting older now. I had friends that didn't get to see their parents and their parents passed away while being incarcerated, and some are already deported back to a country that they do not know nothing about or even know how to read or write in the language or read a street sign or sense of direction of where they would go to or stay. Also, I just want to add this in there. As of right now since this whole Administration that's been going on and even for me being up here right now speaking to you guys about this, I'm very fearful of what's going to happen to me. Like, you know, once you get up here, you're going to be I guess kind of being seen by press or news or whatever, and basically I'm fearful right now too because I really do not know what's going to happen. And I want to at least be that person that spoke up and is going to try to make a difference for everybody in the immigrant and refugee community right now. And also, I just put in my presidential pardon as well too. Hopefully something will get back or I'll hear something soon. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you very much for your testimony and for your work throughout the community. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your public comment.
Yes. My name is Diamond Anthony, she/they pronouns. Good afternoon, distinguished members of City Council and a special thank you to Rue for inviting me here today to testify in front of you. My name is Diamond Anthony, she/they pronouns. I'm a Program Coordinator of GALAEI and also Philly Pride 365. I also on the side am the current reigning and first Ms. Philadelphia Leather 2020 to 2025. So for me personally, I have a few things that I want to touch base on. As someone that works with the community, I see a lot of things that we are already going through right now. One of the things that I see a lot of is lack of affordable housing, especially when it comes to the homelessness in Philadelphia and it has increased in the recent years by 38 percent. We have so many people right now that are facing eviction notices because they cannot afford housing and stuff like that, and this is stuff pre-Trump era. So this is stuff that was happening during the Biden administration so I want to bring that up as well. Also, affordable food, there are a lot of food deserts right now. I'm one person that can testify to saying that I have had to utilize resources for just getting food for my own self and nourishment of my own body, and those are things that with the new Administration coming in that I'm afraid that it's going to become a bigger problem, a problem that is already going on right now. Health services, there has been an increase in HIV transmission, specifically with people that are um using needles for drugs and stuff like that. And there is just a lot of things that I see right now that are already happening that are only going to get worse. My thing is there is a little bit of a trust issue with City Council right now with your recent decision with the stadium in Chinatown. It shows that you are willing to displace and take over neighborhoods and things like that for capital gain and infrastructure, not putting any type of thought into the community that put you all onto your jobs. So for me when I talk about trust and bring trust up, when I see stuff like that, it kind of gives me a little bit of weary that you will follow suit in the corporate greed that is currently going on in our United States of America and you will falter to that, because your decisions have already shown that. So how do we build trust between us, the citizens and City Council? We're going to be watching you very closely over the next couple years. The midterms are coming up so if you want to keep your job, I suggest you fight for your community members. And not only that, there's also been a history in this government, in this city of violence against activists. Let's bring up MOVE and stuff like that, that also kind of plays into this. We're going through extreme times right now. And one of the things that I want to advise you all is to not buckle underneath the guise of this administration. You have a job to do as servants to the community. And remember, we're the ones that voted you onto this platform. We can easily organize to get you off and find the right people that will actually get the work done. And more candidly personal, as a Black Trans woman I'm afraid for the things that are to come, but I am willing to work hard and diligently to protect not only the community that I serve but the community in general of this city. So I want to say to you that we are watching you very closely. And the decisions that you make for the next coming years until the midterms are going to determine whether we want to move forward with you all. If not, then we will find people to put into office.
I don't want to cut you off and I wanted you to say everything you had to say, but I do want to be respectful because I did ask everyone else to stay to a minute. Okay.
And I received everything you said and I appreciate you being here and I didn't want to cut you off, but I wanted to ensure that we were able to get to our next witness.
Thank you for your public comment. Please state your name for the record and proceed with your testimony.
I am Tyrell Brown. I proudly use they/them pronouns. I'm the Executive Director of GALAEI and Philly Pride 365. Philly Pride 365, this year we had an economic impact of nearly $6 million in about seven hours from our community, and that didn't include many of the items that we typically would account for such as lodging, transportation and so on and so forth. And it wasn't just about celebration. It wasn't just about that. This was about resource. GALAEI is a staff of nearly 7 individuals at max and often times we add other consultants to be up at 10 individuals at max to produce a festival that was estimated to be the largest public festival and resource fair in Philadelphia, outpacing Made In America. That is not to be forgotten in this moment, that it wasn't just about celebration, concerts and laughter and joy. Those things are important. But during that festival, we served about 30,000 people with resources and services, often for things that we are not funded for. On a daily basis at GALAEI, we do navigation for housing, often times for housing that is not affirming but also using our own mutual aid networks to source housing for people. As many units as we might build of $1,100 studio apartments in Kensington and Fair Hill and Southwest Philadelphia and so on and so forth, as many as we might build that housing, that housing is still unaffordable for most people that are (inaudible) to the margins in the city, particularly Black trans women, so we see that discrimination both implicitly and overtly. So it is incumbent upon these next couple years that we, I think to Diamond's point, not necessarily as challenging as it might be, it's incumbent that we don't be used as pawns, right, because we do know that what this administration is going to try to do is force everyone to trade out favors, right. You give up that affirmation for queer and trans folks in the city and we'll get you more funding for housing, right. But when we talk about a City of Brotherly Love, Sisterly Affection and Sibling Solidarity, when we talk about that, it means for everyone. And I know because I've worked with all three of you and other people in City Council that you all will be ready to stand and not trade us out for those things. And I hope that the efforts and work that we do and that we have put forward for the last three years, at least that I've been in this position, but for many years past that we will continue to work together to make sure that our city is an affirming place. And finally I will say this, whether or not we call this city a sanctuary city legislatively, it is because that is what we do organically. That is what Philadelphia always has been and always will be. It is up to us as institutions, it's up to us as elected officials and those that are allied with us to put that into law so that way people know that they can come here not just by hook, line, and sinker, and we can provide off of our backs but what we can provide institutionally for people that are coming here for resources and services. It already started. In 2024, GALAEI took on about to 9 clients that had come to 10 Philadelphia from Florida, from 11 Kentucky and from Texas already and 12 we had to navigate finding jobs, 13 housing, health care, so on and so 14 forth for them, and we don't get 15 compensated for that. That was not 16 money that was coming from the City 17 or any institution for us. That 18 was just off of the strength and 19 the will of our staff. 20 So we are going to need to invest in organizations and institutions going forward to provide those gap services and those wraparound services as we go forward for people that will see us as sanctuary regardless of whether or not it is written into law. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for your testimony and thank you for your work and thank you for being here. We appreciate both of you for our last public comment. Is there anyone else here to provide public comment for today's public meeting? Please step to the witness table. (Witness approached Witness table.)
State your name for the record and proceed with your public comment. As a reminder, we're asking that we please try to keep it to a minute as we do need to give the stenographer a break before the 2 o'clock hearing.
Hello. Thank you. My name is Elizabeth Widen and I am a fourth-year medical student and Master's of Public Health candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout medical school I have been a volunteer at Puentes de Salud, a nonprofit community health center that serves a predominantly Spanish-speaking undocumented patient population. Today we've heard about the loss of sanctuary status in places like churches and schools, but we must also consider the erosion of sanctuary in hospitals. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, EMTALA, of 1986 ensures that hospitals with emergency departments must provide urgent care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Emergency rooms are therefore an extremely important access point to care for undocumented people who are almost entirely barred from having health insurance in this country and therefore don't have access to other sources of medical care. However, recent policy changes that remove protections against immigration enforcement in health care settings will certainly increase mortality and morbidity for undocumented people due to fear of deportation in medical settings. Thank you.
Thank you very much for being here and thank you for your testimony. Is there anyone here additionally to testify for this resolution today? (No response.)
Okay. Seeing none and there being no further questions from members of the Committee, would you like to have remarks? The Chair recognizes Councilmember Landau.
Thank you everybody for coming here today. This is my final moment of thanks in this moment, but this will carry this with you as we go and traverse the next four years. What we heard today not only shows that at least currently we have some pretty strong laws on the books that can help Philadelphians, all of us, immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ+ community, reproductive rights. We need to make sure that the City is enforcing all of these laws to the greatest extent that we possibly can. And also, what I felt today shockingly something positive in these bleak times, which is just this moment of solidarity, that we are all in this together, that if we stand up and stand together we will be able to be the most successful that we can possibly be in the next four years. So I look forward to working with all of you and it's not going to be an easy ride, but there's no way any individual can do it alone. It's got to be a community effort where we're all together. So thank you.
Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Landau. And again, thank you for all of your hard work and to your team for their hard work on this resolution, and to all of you who have provided testimony and public comment today. And special kudos to Jared Namnun on my team. This is his very first hearing that he is clerking and I think he did an awesome job. (Applause.)
Thank you all so very much for being here. There being no further questions from members of the Committee, no other witnesses to testify and no further names for public comment, this concludes the business before the Committee on Law and Government today. Thank you all so very much for your attendance. (Committee on Law and Government concluded at 1:26 p.m.) C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. __________________________________ TANEHA CARROLL