Parker's opaque response regarding Trump's request demonstrates how her strategy of avoiding conflict with the White House is likely to come under strain.
Mayor Cherelle Parker won’t say whether Philly responded to President Donald Trump’s demands on ‘sanctuary’ policies Parker's opaque response regarding Trump's request demonstrates how her strategy of avoiding conflict with the White House is likely to come under strain.
’s administration that so-called sanctuary cities and states affirm by Tuesday that they will end their immigrant-friendly policies, Democratic leaders in many of the targeted jurisdictions this week announced they were defying or simply not responding to the federal government’s request.“Our Law Department will address any inquiries from the U.S. Justice Department in accordance with applicable procedures,” City Solicitor Renee Garcia, a top Parker appointee, said in a statement Thursday. Garcia’s comments did not make clear whether Philadelphia replied to Trump’s demand, which came in an Aug. 13 letter from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the mayor’s office did not respond to requests to clarify. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice declined to comment on whether Philadelphia submitted a response to Bondi’s letter.Parker’s opaque response regarding Bondi’s letter demonstrates how her strategy is likely to become more difficult to maintain as the White House ramps up its efforts to crack down on and deny funding to “sanctuary” cities.“welcoming city,” rather than a “sanctuary city.”In the letter, Bondi requested that those jurisdictions each submit a response that “confirms your commitment to complying with federal law and identifies the immediate initiatives you are taking to eliminate laws, policies, and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement.” The jurisdictions had a deadline of Aug. 19 to respond, she wrote. She also warned that the federal government could withhold funding to those jurisdictions and criminally charge local officials who resisted the Trump administration, an incendiary and legally dubious threat. “Individuals operating under the color of law, using their official position to obstruct federal immigration enforcement efforts and facilitating or inducing illegal immigration may be subject to prosecution,” Bondi wrote. Numerous courts have ruled that local jurisdictions are not required to assist immigration enforcement, a federal responsibility, and some have found that attempts to coerce them to do so may violate the Constitution’s 10th Amendment.Garcia said Thursday that Philadelphia’s policies are legal and have not changed. “The City of Philadelphia remains in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws regarding immigration, and the 2016 executive orders regarding detainers remain in place,” Garcia said.prohibiting Philadelphia’s jails from honoring detainer requests, in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement asks local jails to hold inmates suspected of immigration violations for an additional 48 hours beyond when they would have otherwise been released to facilitate arrests by federal agents. Declining detainer requests is among the most prominent of the state and local policies that conservatives have said improperly impede immigration enforcement. Louisville, Ky., Mayor Craig Greenberg in July ended his city’s policy of not honoring the requests after the Trump administration identified it as a sanctuary jurisdiction, in an initial list that was posted in late May to the DOJ website before being removed in early June after errors were discovered. (Philadelphia“The stakes are too high,” Greenberg reportedly said at the time. “We do not want the National Guard occupying the streets of Louisville.”Wu’s comments prompted acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to say immigration agents will “flood” Boston. Parker has pursued a strategy that seeks to strike a balance between those of Greenberg and Wu: not backing down, but not picking a fight. “There is uncertainty now in the air. People don’t know what to expect from their government,” Parker said last month, without mentioning Trump by name. “Your city is here to keep you safe and to safeguard your basic rights.”
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