Philadelphia City Council introduces "ICE OUT" legislation restricting federal agents
Philadelphia City Council took a step in restricting federal agents in the city with the introduction of the so-called "ICE OUT" legislation.
Council chambers were crowded Thursday, and many people held signs that said "ICE OUT," the name of the legislative package introduced by Councilmembers Kendra Brooks and Rue Landau.
"It's our responsibility as local electeds to make sure we're protecting our people here in Philadelphia, so that's the purpose of this legislation," Brooks said.
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The legislation was first announced Tuesday in front of hundreds of supporters outside City Hall. The councilmembers say the legislation has been endorsed by more than 40 local organizations.
"There shouldn't be a single dime of Philadelphia tax dollars and not a single second of Philadelphia workers collaborating with an agency that is stomping all over the Constitution," Jasmine Rivera, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition, said.
The ICE OUT package, consisting of seven bills, would prohibit ICE and other law enforcement agents from concealing their identities with face masks and using unmarked vehicles. It would also not allow city agencies to collaborate with ICE and prevent them from collecting immigration status and sharing data with ICE, among other things.
Many of the people who spoke before council Thursday expressed support for the proposal. Lynn Landes, of Safe Streets Philly, is against the measure.
"Under the Biden administration, Democrats engineered an illegal invasion of our country by inviting in millions of illegal immigrants from all over the world plus supporting them with taxpayers' money," Landes said.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, responded to the legislation by saying Philadelphia will be less safe. A statement said in part, "When politicians bar local law enforcement from working with us, that is when we have to have a more visible presence so that we can find and apprehend the criminals let out of jails and back into communities."
The legislation still has to go through the committee process before there's a vote, which could take several weeks.
CBS News Philadelphia asked if Mayor Cherelle Parker supports these bills. We have not received a response.