PCHR responds to President Obama’s immigration reform speech

Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations Chair Thomas H. Earle today offered this reaction to the immigration reform address President Obama presented to the nation last night on behalf of PCHR:

“The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations applauds the courageous and prudent action President Obama proposed concerning immigration reform. He offered a rational, thoughtful and achievable set of steps that would lessen anxiety among hundreds of thousands of families in the United States, support law enforcement as well as provide a road map toward a more comprehensive path for the long-term solutions that so many desire.

“As we approach the holiday season, President Obama could provide no better gift than piece of mind for parents and children as well as solid leadership on a complex issue that reverberates in nearly every community in this country, with Philadelphia being no exception.

“As the city’s investigators of national origin and language discrimination claims, our commission sees first-hand the impact actual reform stands to have, and we look forward to the strengthening the rich diversity of our city and nation. For this, we are grateful for the president’s strong leadership on this important interim step in much needed immigration reform.”

PCHR is the agency charged with diffusing inter-group conflict within the city and ensure fair dealings in employment, housing, public accommodations and real estate, as outlined in the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance, Philadelphia’s guiding civil rights legislation.

Learn more by calling (215) 686-4670 or visiting www.phila.gov/humanrelations.

Global scholars learn from PCHR

On Monday, PCHR laid out how diversity and inclusion plays a significant, and legally protected, role in Philadelphia government for some two dozen visiting college students from the Middle East touring the United States.

PCHR represented one of three city agencies participating in the Dialogue Institute’s 2014 Study of the U.S. Institute for Student Leaders on Religious Pluralism and Democracy in the United States. The attending students hailed from Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, among other nations. Philadelphia was among one of several stops in their program, which included checking in with policy makers in New York and Washington D.C.

PCHR Executive Director Rue Landau, Deputy Directors Reynelle Brown Staley and Randy Duque shared the mission and role of PCHR, while Patricia Coyne, veteran community relations representative, offered a review of past PCHR cases.

PCHR Executive Director Rue Landau chats with one of the two dozen visiting scholars participating in the Dialogue Institute’s municipal education program.

The visit was coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs and also featured a presentation from the city’s Commerce Department.

Deputy Director Randy Duque leans in to share insights about PCHR’s role in the city — and the lives of immigrants living here.

Each agency offered insight into how they assist new Philadelphians get settled and integrated into the city, from the basics to the legal side of things – and personal reflections on life as an immigrant as well.

“I had worked for city government for a while, but when I saw the Mexican flag raised over City Hall,” said Fernando Treviño, MOIMA deputy executive director, “I was proud, proud, proud. And we’re looking for ways to share that feeling with other communities.”

In fact, a similar flag-raising for Liberia is in the works, a gesture of symbolic healing, considering the sizable population of Liberians here and recent tragedies that have beset it.

The fact that 12 percent of the city’s population is foreign-born and the outsized impact immigrants here have on founding flourishing enterprises piqued attention. Questions from students sought to glean opinions on the current immigration reform debate raging across the nation, as well as the steps needed to become U.S. citizens. Their majors ranged from medicine to business management.

“I didn’t know what we were going to find out when we came,” said Jad Saheb, a 19-year-old Lebonese business management major at American University. “ But I learned a lot. I am looking forward to learning more.”

PCHR reacts to Mayor Nutter’s order on ICE detentions in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, April 16, 2014 – The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations was among the many individuals and advocacy organizations on hand today when Mayor Michael A. Nutter issued an executive order that changes immigration policy for the city. Reaction was swift and joyous.

“We certainly applaud the mayor’s decision to issue an executive order that will clearly state the city’s position that all Philadelphians – regardless of immigration status – should be treated fairly and equally,” said Thomas H. Earle, PCHR chair. At issue has been the human and emotional cost of automatic deportations triggered by minor infractions, or even false accusations.

Anecdotes of teenagers involved in skirmishes or men or women driving to work with a broken tail light suddenly in the pipeline of deportation upset and outraged working immigrant families throughout Philadelphia. It also thrust the realities and consequences of immigration policies in urban settings amid thinly stretched police and legal resources into the broader sphere.

Flanked with City Council members and top-level aides, Mayor Nutter announces his intention to suspend ICE detainers in Philadelphia, to vigorous applause and chants in Spanish and English.

Individuals and advocacy organizations such as One Love Movement, Juntos and the ACLU of Pennsylvania have opposed ICE holds, argued about these potential constitutional violations prompted largely because of someone’s skin color, physical features or accent.

The U.S. Third Circuit of Appeals agreed.

In its ruling last month in Galarza v. Szalczyk, the court decreed that ICE detainers among state and local law enforcement agencies are requests, not mandates. As such, municipalities are free to disregard such detainers, and cannot rely on such requests as excuses to restrict someone’s constitutional rights.

The ruling and the mayor’s executive order clearly delineate local policing from the work of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Rue Landau, PCHR executive director.

“Deportation is a mechanism that can tear apart families, often separating children from a parent who may be the only source of income in the household, causing devastation,” Landau said. “Today, Philadelphia is taking an important step to help retain the fabric of our community.

“All immigrants should be able to come forward as victims and witnesses, be able to use city services – including police services – without fear of deportation,” she added. “And the Philadelphia Police Department should be allowed to focus its efforts on helping to build and strengthen our community.”

Established in 1951, PCHR enforces civil rights laws and helps to diffuse inter-group conflict within the city. Follow its activities on Facebook, Twitter or the Philly: Interwoven blog.