Members of the Mayor’s Commission on African & Caribbean Immigrant Affairs met recently at Kilimanjaro Restaurant to discuss the immigration policies of the incoming Trump administration. (Photo/Progressive Images)
By Marilyn Kai Jewett
The threat
Immigrants throughout the Philadelphia region are worried about President-elect Trump’s plans for mass deportation of immigrants identified as criminal and those who are undocumented on “day one” of his presidency. They have every reason to be worried. Trump has vowed to restrict and eliminate legal immigration pathways, including humanitarian protections, and deport millions of immigrants.
The federal government has implemented mass deportations several times in the past, including during the Obama administration, when approximately 1.57 million and 1.49 million immigrants were removed in the fiscal years of his first and second presidencies respectively. In 1954, the Eisenhower administration implemented “Operation Wetback,” which used Border Patrol resources and military tactics to round up and deport Mexican immigrants in the Southwest. It’s estimated that over 1 million “Mexican-looking” people, many of whom were citizens, were deported.
In Philadelphia, some immigrants, primarily Latinos, have been protesting and demanding protection from City Hall against the incoming administration’s proposed immigration policies. Some local activists are making unrealistic demands like calling for the closure of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in the region. Advocates also want President Joe Biden to direct the Department of Homeland Security to cancel pending deportation cases, pardon all undocumented immigrants, and cut funding to ICE and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) — not gonna happen.
Black immigrants
While others are protesting, Black immigrants in the region have been quietly meeting to discuss their options. According to PEW research, it is estimated that there are over 120,000 African and Caribbean immigrants and refugees in the Greater Philadelphia region. Data from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau’s calculations estimates that there are a total of 47,000 of what they term “unauthorized” immigrants in Philadelphia County. According to MPI, 6,000 of the “unauthorized” are Caribbean immigrants, and 4,000 are African immigrants.
The Mayor’s Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs, chaired by former Councilmember Jannie Blackwell, recently met at Youma Ba’s new Kilimanjaro Restaurant in West Philadelphia to discuss Trump’s immigration proposals and about what can be done to protect themselves.
Stan Straughter, one of the leaders of the commission, said they have been meeting with government officials on the issue.
“We’ve had discussions with the State’s Attorney for this area, the Governor’s Office, the Mayor’s Office and our immigrant communities,” he said. “We’re worried about it because, for Black immigrants, we have two burdens. The first burden is being an immigrant and the second is being Black. I’m waiting to see what the end result will be from the community. We’re seeking legal support, but that’s a problem because not many Black attorneys specialize in immigration. Nobody knows what to do.”
Voffee Jabateh, who founded the African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA) in 1999, cited the immigration process at the border.
“Most of the Africans who came across the border were met by CBP that gave them a notice to appear, which is a process of Immigration Court,” explained Jabateh, a Liberian immigrant. “I’m not sure if Mr. Trump will disregard the fact that these folks were given a notice to appear and the procedure to go through Immigration Court and deport everyone irrespective of whether there is a legal process in place.”
Jabateh said ACANA, which primarily helps African and Caribbean refugees, immigrant families, and other residents access health and social services, also has a legal department that deals with immigration issues.
The ACANA Legal & Immigration Services Department specializes in immigration law particularly in family-based cases, naturalization, asylum, and removal and detention, as well as many dual criminal and immigration matters, refugee resettlement and case management services. ACANA has served as a Board of Immigration Appeals-accredited community-based organization, allowing it to represent individuals before the U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) and other immigration agencies.
Sanctuary cities
Philadelphia has been a sanctuary city since 2016. Amy Eusebio, director of the city’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, assured those at the meeting that nothing has changed, and that there’s no collaboration between the Philadelphia Police Department and ICE. She said local police and city agencies will not assist ICE to identify or arrest immigrants.
State Sen. Sharif Street (D-3rd Dist.) also attended the meeting. and assured those in attendance that Gov. Josh Shapiro won’t let people be deported. However, he advised those living outside of Philadelphia to check the immigration policies of their county, and those who live in the city should be cautious when taking care of business outside of Philadelphia.
However, the incoming Trump administration is focusing on deporting criminal illegal immigrants and is relying on local law enforcement to cooperate with ICE. Trump said he would retaliate against sanctuary cities and states by cutting federal funding to those jurisdictions. Incoming border czar Tom Homan has also threatened to arrest those who block ICE, including big city mayors.
Mayor Cherelle Parker is facing a serious dilemma – does she stand up for unauthorized immigrants who can’t vote for her and lose federal funding that will benefit the entire city? That remains to be seen.
Blackwell said people are still trying to figure out what to do.
“We’re going to see what we can do collectively,” Blackwell, founding chair of the commission that was established under the Street Administration in 2005, said. “It’s going to be interesting to see what Trump does to sanctuary cities like ours. It’s going to take time for people to come together, but at least we’re talking about it. We have to come together like this to share ideas.”
Do we need an Underground Railroad 2025?
Unity among African Americans and Black immigrants is the call from some. Will we have to organize a modern Underground Railroad to hide and protect Black people from ICE? How will ICE know who is an immigrant and who is not?
Blackwell thinks a modern Underground Railroad is a good idea for dealing with this issue.
Oni Richards of the African Family Health Organization said people are afraid they will be separated from their families.
“We have to be hopeful, but we also have to organize and strategize,” Richards said. “We just all have to stay connected and stay united. We’ve got to fight this together.”
Zerihun Belay, a leader of the Ethiopian Community of Greater Philadelphia looks at it as a civil rights violation.
“Unless someone has broken the law and is a criminal, they should be allowed to stay,” he said. “So many have died in the Civil Rights battles, we cannot just give it [our civil rights] up!”
People who have immigration issues should call ACANA’s Legal & Immigration Services Department at (215) 729-8225. For more information about the organization, visit: https://acanaus.org/.
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