Monday, four of Philadelphia’s most important immigrant advocacy organizations stood in front of City Hall and for an hour, the representatives of the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizens Coalition, the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, the One Love Movement, and Juntos, lambasted Mayor Michael Nutter on the proposed changes to the “sanctuary city” protections in place for undocumented immigrants.

The four organizations first heard about the proposed changes at a closed-door meeting held last week and conducted by Deputy Mayor Everett Gillison. The Nutter Administration — via its press secretary Mark McDonald — has told us that a draft of the proposed (“minor”) changes will only be released to the media/public after input from the stakeholder organizations is considered. Because that’s what the meeting supposed to prompt, MacDonald insisted, input from stakeholders.
That’s not how the invited stakeholders heard it.

“It was not an invitation to engage with the policy,” said Nicole Kligerman of New Sanctuary Movement. “Everyone who spoke at the meeting was against any changes to the policy. Deputy Mayor Gillison said both that those concerns were going to be passed along to the mayor and repeated that the mayor had already decided to change the order.”
If the Nutter administration had bothered to look out of City Hall’s windows yesterday (or stepped out to the North side of the plaza) they would have gotten further clear and unequivocal input — from the small crowd of stakeholders that had gathered in protest.
But maybe the Nutter Administration doesn’t consider a protest rally input? Or maybe the Nutter Administration was expecting that the stakeholder reactions would be conveyed back to them quietly, via email or paper, in keeping with the Administration’s closed-door choice?
But, see, that’s the thing about these four immigrant advocacy organizations — they never for a second forget that city, state and national immigration policies affect real people. People who talk and interact with them — not politicians — on a regular basis. People who rarely make it past closed doors, much less by invitation from City Hall.
And yesterday, leaders of each of these organizations — along with those whose lives and  rights they safeguard, and a representative of the Arab-American Community Development Cooperation — made their input absolutely clear. Now, is the Nutter Administration listening?

“We are here today, to say that will not allow Mayor Nutter to  throw our communities under the bus at the eleventh hour of this administration.”
Erika Almiron, Juntos

“We know that the incentive for rolling back this policy isn’t coming from us, it’s coming from outside our city.”
Mia Lia Kiernan, One Love Movement

“It is shocking that Mayor Nutter doesn’t care about justice. He cares when it is convenient to care ... I thought I lived in a city where a mayor might keep his promises.”
Rabbi Linda Holtzman, New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia