Philadelphia is a Sanctuary City Under Mayor Kinney

Jim Kenney has been mayor of Philadelphia for all of three days and he’s already causing a stir. As soon as he entered office he signed a spate of executive orders, one of which has proven to be quite controversial. The order returns Philadelphia to a state of being a “sanctuary city” for undocumented immigrants, since they will not be turned over to U.S. immigration officials for committing minor crimes. Kenney kept a campaign promise that he made in this regard.

Mayor Kenney has turned Philadelphia into a sanctuary city once again. (Photo: AP)

Kenney’s order undid one signed last month by his predecessor, now-former Mayor Michael Nutter, that “allowed local law enforcement to inform the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] Agency, about detainees who have engaged in or are suspected of terrorism or espionage,” as the Times Leader put it. In 2014 Nutter had signed a bill that would prevent Philadelphia police from holding undocumented immigrants solely on immigration detainers. By late last year, however, he was considering an order that would have the city cooperating with national immigration officials. It was a change that infuriated immigrant rights groups.

The Latin Post reported that Kenney had spoken with U.S Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about the nation’s current “Secure Communities” policy, which many feel is too harsh on undocumented immigrants. Kenney advocated for the prior “Priority Enforcement” policy, which was much more lenient.

In the meantime, Kenney’s order will prohibit police or prison officials from informing ICE about the detainment of undocumented immigrants unless they are convicted of a violent felony and ICE’s request for that particular person was backed by a warrant.

Sanctuary cities have been a hot button topic in the current presidential election cycle, with Republican candidate Donald Trump vowing to deport 11 million immigrants in under two years if he gets elected.