After ICE raid in Philadelphia, immigrant groups, Quakers tackle Trump's challenging immigration changes

CBS News

29-01-2025

Video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows an ICE operation carried out at a car wash in the city's Juniata Park neighborhood on Tuesday morning. It happened at Hunting Park Avenue and H Street.
The footage, some surveillance video from a nearby store and some cellphone video, shows several people being detained by officers.
Immigrant group Juntos, based in South Philadelphia, says this marks one of, if not the first, confirmed ICE raid in the city since President Trump took office.
"I think it marks what we've been preparing for the last couple of weeks," Manuel Vasquez, a case organizer with the group, said.
ICE Philadelphia officials have not released details on the operation, including how many people were detained, if any had criminal records or why the car wash was targeted. In an X post on Wednesday, ICE announced it had made 1,016 arrests the prior day.
"There is a ton of fear-mongering going on in the community right now and a lot of panic that's beginning to incite among our undocumented community members," Vasquez said.
Right now, Juntos said its priority is making sure people know their rights and have access to resources. But there is more that's adding to the concern for these communities, like perceived changes in who is being targeted in the raids.
On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump touted that undocumented immigrants who were committing crimes in the United States would be the focus of his mass deportation efforts. But on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said all undocumented immigrants are part of the sweep.
"Absolutely those should be the priority of ICE, but that doesn't mean that the other illegal criminals who entered our nation's borders are off the table," Leavitt said.
"So many of them are here in pursuit of a betterment of their own lives, betterment of the future of their children," Vasquez said.
Immigrant groups in the city aren't the only ones contending with the changing laws, however. Some religious groups have taken aim at the policies.
This week, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting joined several other Quaker groups in suing the Department of Homeland Security after the agency rescinded a long-standing policy that blocked ICE agents from carrying out operations in houses of worship.
"It is about freedom of religion that has an impact on decisions that are being made in this country around immigration also," Christie Duncan-Tessmer, the general secretary of PYM, said.
Duncan-Tessmer said the policy had been in place for decades and prevented agents from operating in so-called "sensitive locations" like churches, playgrounds, hospitals and more. DHS pulled that policy last week.
As that lawsuit carries on, Duncan-Tessmer said it leaves their meeting halls open to that possibility. She believes it's a violation of the Constitution, and impacts their rights to worship freely.
"If they are prevented by that fear from coming to be part of our community, then our way of worship, our way of making decisions together, is compromised," Duncan-Tessmer said. "The idea of agents coming to our meetings with guns, with weapons, is particularly concerning for us."
As for Juntos, they said they're preparing for raids to continue in Philadelphia but add the community is resilient.
"The people will protect the people," Vasquez said.