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ADL APPLAUDS PHILADELPHIA CITY COUNCIL FOR “COMPASSIONATE AND COMPELLING” RESOLUTION AGAINST MASS DEPORTATION OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

  • January 29, 2016

Philadelphia, PA , January 29, 2016 … The Anti-Defamation League (“ADL”) today applauded the passage of a Philadelphia City Council resolution urging Federal officials and law enforcement to stop conducting mass deportation raids. The resolution, sponsored by Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez and Councilwoman Helen Gym, was released in the wake of a Department of Homeland Security raid that detained 121 undocumented immigrants in the city on New Year’s weekend.

“We applaud Philadelphia City Council’s compassionate and compelling resolution against mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. America is a ‘Nation of Immigrants,’ and no city better represents the richness and vitality of multiculturalism than Philadelphia. We must open our arms, and our hearts, to those fleeing violence and oppression, and to those seeking a better life for themselves and their families – the same motivations that inspired most of our ancestors to journey to America in generations past.

This resolution continues Philadelphia’s nationally-recognized leadership on defending immigrant rights. We thank Councilwoman Sanchez and Councilwoman Gym for championing this resolution.”

This is the second time this month that ADL has commended City of Philadelphia officials for defending the rights of undocumented immigrants. The League sent a letter thanking Mayor Jim Kenney for signing Executive Order 5-16, which rescinded city law enforcement cooperation with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s deportation program.

ADL has promoted fair and humane immigration policies since its founding in 1913, and advocates for a comprehensive approach to reform that includes (1) a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, (2) fair treatment and equal access to human services for immigrants, and (3) a sound border security strategy.

ADL’s recent work on immigrant rights includes lobbying the Senate to reject the “American SAFE Act,” which would have effectively closed America’s doors to refugees; filing an amicus brief in Perales Serna v. Texas Department of State Health Services defending birthright citizenship; training more than 1,000 senior ICE personnel in Law Enforcement and Society, a program focusing on the core values of American law enforcement; offering educational resources, such as “Myths and Facts about Immigrants and Immigration”; and monitoring and condemning anti-immigrant sentiment and extremism.

 

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry.

Source: Press Release
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