The video was recorded by a volunteer member of Juntos\u2019 ICE Watch team, who are trained to identify and respond to ICE activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the video, Philly police officers do not directly restrain the individual, but stand by as ICE makes the arrest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When asked about their cooperation with ICE by WHYY, PPD stated that their cooperation follows a 2016 executive order<\/a> from former Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.\u00a0<\/p>\n The executive order outlines the circumstances in which PPD should cooperate with ICE and says that PPD should only comply with ICE detainer requests when supported by a judicial warrant. It is unclear whether or not ICE had a warrant for Wednesday\u2019s detainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Protest organizers and attendees believe the cooperation between ICE and PPD violates Philadelphia\u2019s sanctuary city status.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are disappointed in any and all collaboration between local agencies and ICE, disappointed in the silence, in the lack of coordination and the broken promises of protection,\u201d said Erika Guadalupe Nunez, the executive director of Juntos who spoke at the rally.\u00a0<\/p>\n Guadalupe Nunez was joined in speaking at the Friday protest by Elena Emelchin Brunner, an immigrant rights organizer with Asian Americans United, and Lenore Ramos, an organizer with Juntos, as well as the ICE Watch volunteer who witnessed the Wednesday arrest, who preferred to remain anonymous.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ramos was noticeably choked up during her speech, where she described what she has witnessed while acting as Juntos\u2019 Community Defense Organizer.<\/p>\n \u201cI sit on one side of a plastic screen, unable to offer a hug or even a handshake, and I watch as ICE employees bring them in and out of their cages. It makes me physically ill every time,\u201d Ramos said. \u201cOver a decade ago, Philadelphia declared itself a sanctuary city \u2026 And yet, while we experience the expansion of fascism in our city, our city is not standing behind our immigrant communities. Instead, it\u2019s stepping all over them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout the speeches, which continued to 11 a.m., members of the crowd held signs declaring \u201cICE out of Philly\u201d and \u201cAbolish ICE,\u201d and shouted anti-ICE chants during pauses between speakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Austen Parrott said he was drawn to participate in the protest after watching the video of the arrest, which he called \u201cappalling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems like our police department is willing to act right in league with ICE, even as they are clearly escalating situations and abusing people,\u201d Parrott said. \u201cI would expect different. I would expect better.\u201d<\/p>\n Josh Finkelstein, an organizer with Make the Road PA, an immigrants\u2019 rights and community justice group with an office in Philly, said he was encouraged by Friday\u2019s turnout.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLooking at the crowd here, it\u2019s definitely bringing us together,\u201d Finkelstein said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue lobbying together, and the City Council, the mayor and our elected officials are really going to have to start taking us seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Guadalupe Nunez shared that she\u2019s seen the immigrant community recoil from daily activity as ICE arrests continue in Philadelphia and public trust erodes among immigrants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t want to call 911, they don\u2019t want to take the kids to the hospital, they don\u2019t want to go to work, they don\u2019t want to go to school,\u201d Guadalupe Nunez said.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, ICE agents took 14 people into custody<\/a> at the Super Gigante food market near Norristown. On July 6, ICE detained five undocumented Guatemalan immigrants<\/a> living in Point Breeze.\u00a0<\/p>\n WHYY and Billy Penn reached out to ICE over email but have yet to receive a response.<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Rally-1.jpg\")
Erika Guadalupe Nunez, the executive director of Juntos, led the July 18 rally, giving opening remarks and introducing the trio of other speakers. (Davis Cuffe\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sign-rally.jpg\")
Among the many who waved signs sharing anti-ICE sentiments during the rally was (waiting for Crystal to share his name), whose sign read \u201cUgly cowards wear masks while supporting\/doing Nazi things.\u201d (Davis Cuffe\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n