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The Nutter Administration's July 4th Declaration of Independence from Fear in Philadelphia

In 1776 our forefathers, fearful of and angry with British control of their land, issued the following Declaration of Independence: When, in the course of…

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In 1776 our forefathers, fearful of and angry with British control of their land, issued the following Declaration of Independence:

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government.

Over the last few days, the Nutter administration affirmed the tenets of this long-ago written Declaration, declaring that the City of Philadelphia would no longer allow the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) service to access the city’s Preliminary Arraignment Reporting System (PARS), which provided ICE access to all criminal dockets.  With this access, ICE has picked up foreign nationals who were placed in PARS due to minor violations and have put them into removal proceedings. This has created great fear and distrust of the police in Philadelphia’s immigrant communities, so much so that foreign nationals are afraid to report crimes even when they have been the victim or a witness, knowing that their complaint can result in their removal from the U.S.  Therefore, this move away from allowing ICE access to PARS is a step toward restoring trust and safety.

As our city celebrates the birth of our nation this weekend, let us also celebrate our brave Mayor who, despite the actions of political colleagues such as the Governor of Arizona, still believes in the very words of our forefathers: that all men are created equal and all are entitled to be protected from fear, no matter what their immigration status.

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