By Dustin Slaughter
During a press conference yesterday morning, members of The New Sanctuary Movement announced that they would be housing immigrants in danger of imminent deportation.
Too many undocumented immigrants, members maintain, are needlessly living in fear, according to a Newsworks report on the press conference Wednesday.
Pastor Aldo Siahaan says he is prepared to stand up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and risk arrest and jail time.
“This is kind of like a circle. When we give hope to someone, one day you need hope too. When we extend our hand, one day we also need help from other people. So this is a story about family. You have family. Everyone has family.”
Earlier this year, Philadelphia’s City Council voted to end what are known as ICE detainers, a cooperative agreement between federal immigration police and the Philadelphia Police Department, which entails local police holding undocumented immigrants until ICE processed and deported them. Council’s decision did not include immigrants who commit violent crimes, however.
Newsworks reports that over 2,000 undocumented people have been deported “through early June of this year.”
The Philly Declaration 
