10.12.17: Philadelphia – (Politics): The beleaguered mayor of Philadelphia has grown weary due to a back-and-forth with a “coercive” federal government that’s determined to receive from local police departments cooperation in gathering intelligence on, and in some cases detaining, undocumented immigrants. On his first day as Mayor, Mr. Jim Kenney re-established Philadelphia as a sanctuary city and he said on Thursday there’s no way he could’ve anticipated such a resistance to the policy from Washington, D.C. As he leads a battle against an unyielding administration, Mr. Kenney aimed to reassure the immigrants of Philadelphia that they’re shielded from lawlessness.
“We’re not throwing you to the wolves. We’re not going to step back… We’re going to protect you.”
It was only the mayor and his lawyer, City Solicitor Sozi Tulante, who shared the lectern at City Hall for a Thursday afternoon press conference, which occurred hours after U.S Attorney General Jeff Session sent to Philadelphia and other major American cities a stern final warning that they, embracing a sanctuary status, remain in violation of federal law.
The Mayor said he was angry when he first heard of the letter from Mr. Sessions which has to be responded to by October 27th.
“Their whole method of operation is coercion. The way in which they approach every single issue is not one of diplomacy or thoughtfulness.”
But, rather than stay angry, the Mayor thinks it best to breath and rely on the courts – Philadelphia in August filed a lawsuit against Mr. Session, claiming the conditions, meant to deter sanctuary city policies, that he added to law enforcement grants is unconstitutional – to protect the city from men who don’t think much of the country’s founding legal document.
At issue is the belief held by Mr. Sessions and the Trump administration that Philadelphia and its contemporaries are violating a federal statute called 8 U.S.C 1373, which prohibits governments from restricting the delivery of information to federal officials about the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.
Mr. Tulante said the City’s argument is that the aforementioned federal statue has nothing to do with law enforcement grant funding. 8 U.S.C 1373 is about civil immigration, and the money is for criminal law enforcement, Mr. Tulante asserted.
Mr. Tulante further shared that the City sent the Department of Justice a 15-page documentation, including a legal citation, which demonstrated how the City complied with the federal statute. Approximately 10 legal minds are contributing to the City’s defense and all agree that Philadelphia is in compliance with federal law.
“Right now, we’ll wait to see what a judge tells us to do, and not be coerced or intimidated by the federal government,” said the mayor.
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