After ICE raid in Philadelphia, immigrant groups, Quakers tackle Trump's challenging immigration changes
The footage, some surveillance video from a nearby store and some cellphone video, shows several people being detained by officers.
Immigrant group Juntos, based in South Philadelphia, says this marks one of, if not the first, confirmed ICE raid in the city since President Trump took office.
"I think it marks what we've been preparing for the last couple of weeks," Manuel Vasquez, a case organizer with the group, said.
ICE Philadelphia officials have not released details on the operation, including how many people were detained, if any had criminal records or why the car wash was targeted. In an X post on Wednesday, ICE announced it had made 1,016 arrests the prior day.
"There is a ton of fear-mongering going on in the community right now and a lot of panic that's beginning to incite among our undocumented community members," Vasquez said.
Right now, Juntos said its priority is making sure people know their rights and have access to resources. But there is more that's adding to the concern for these communities, like perceived changes in who is being targeted in the raids.
On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump touted that undocumented immigrants who were committing crimes in the United States would be the focus of his mass deportation efforts. But on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said all undocumented immigrants are part of the sweep.
"Absolutely those should be the priority of ICE, but that doesn't mean that the other illegal criminals who entered our nation's borders are off the table," Leavitt said.
"So many of them are here in pursuit of a betterment of their own lives, betterment of the future of their children," Vasquez said.
Immigrant groups in the city aren't the only ones contending with the changing laws, however. Some religious groups have taken aim at the policies.
This week, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting joined several other Quaker groups in suing the Department of Homeland Security after the agency rescinded a long-standing policy that blocked ICE agents from carrying out operations in houses of worship.
"It is about freedom of religion that has an impact on decisions that are being made in this country around immigration also," Christie Duncan-Tessmer, the general secretary of PYM, said.
Duncan-Tessmer said the policy had been in place for decades and prevented agents from operating in so-called "sensitive locations" like churches, playgrounds, hospitals and more. DHS pulled that policy last week.
As that lawsuit carries on, Duncan-Tessmer said it leaves their meeting halls open to that possibility. She believes it's a violation of the Constitution, and impacts their rights to worship freely.
"If they are prevented by that fear from coming to be part of our community, then our way of worship, our way of making decisions together, is compromised," Duncan-Tessmer said. "The idea of agents coming to our meetings with guns, with weapons, is particularly concerning for us."
As for Juntos, they said they're preparing for raids to continue in Philadelphia but add the community is resilient.
"The people will protect the people," Vasquez said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
Nvidia CEO says Trump gives America an advantage. Hear that, progressives?
The top executive of the world's most valuable company doesn't have to flatter anyone, even the president of the United States. I'm worried about artificial intelligence. It feels like it's invasive, increasingly ubiquitous and coming for my job. I'm not alone. More than 30% of Americans think AI will do more harm than good. But on July 24, the Trump administration unveiled a bold plan to ensure that the U.S. dominates the world when it comes to AI. It's eased my mind a bit. President Donald Trump's plan sounds smart and promising. Global tech leaders support it, too, including the chief executive of the world's most valuable company. "America's unique advantage that no country could possibly have is President Trump," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said on the "All-In" podcast. Trump says US will win the AI race Trump, speaking at the Winning the AI Race summit for "All In," declared that the U.S. will outpace foreign competitors in developing artificial intelligence. That's important because tech leaders have noted that the country that achieves certain AI milestones may well develop an insurmountable lead in unleashing the most revolutionary technology of our lifetimes. Opinion newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter on conservative values, family and religion from columnist Nicole Russell. Get it delivered to your inbox. The Trump administration is taking a hands-off approach to regulating AI at this point. The president even signed executive orders to reduce regulations on constructing data centers and block states from regulating AI on their own. Opinion: Trump wins again. Columbia's $200 million fine will reshape higher education. Tech industry giants embrace Trump's AI plan The shift in the tech industry from critics to partners of Trump has been remarkable. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was one of those critics. Now he supports the president. Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg also has made an obvious shift toward Trump. And, of course, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk famously supported Trump before their very public and nasty falling out this year. Opinion: We're creating AI that could surveil US citizens. And the government is in on it. The tech leaders admittedly have their own interests in mind in praising Trump these days. But those interests also include America's economic, technological and national defense priorities. Our nation's strength and the prosperity and well-being of Americans may well depend on whether we win the AI race in the years ahead. It's Huang's support that impresses me the most. The top executive of the world's most valuable company doesn't have to flatter anyone, even the president of the United States. Nvidia is leading the global race to the future, and this leader among leaders now says having Trump in the White House is an advantage for America. Perhaps even progressives should listen. Nicole Russell is a columnist at USA TODAY and a mother of four who lives in Texas. Contact her at nrussell@ and follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @russell_nm. Sign up for her weekly newsletter, The Right Track, here. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
Epstein furor undermines public trust, Republican election hopes, two US lawmakers say
The uproar over disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could undermine public trust in the Trump administration, as well as Republican hopes of retaining control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, two US lawmakers said on Sunday. Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who want the House of Representatives to vote on their bipartisan resolution requiring full release of the government's Epstein files, said the lack of transparency is reinforcing public perceptions that the rich and powerful live beyond the reach of the judicial system. 'This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms. The voters will be apathetic if we don't hold the rich and powerful accountable,' Massie, a hardline conservative from Kentucky, told NBC's 'Meet the Press' program. Advertisement 4 President Donald Trump at Trump Turnberry golf club in Turnberry, Scotland on July 27, 2025. Getty Images Republicans hope to add to their current 219-212 House majority – with four seats currently vacant – and 53-47 Senate majority in November 2026, although the US political cycle traditionally punishes the party of the sitting president during midterm elections. The Washington Post reported late on Sunday that Trump was increasingly frustrated with his administration's handling of the furor around Epstein. Advertisement Even so, the president was hesitant to make personnel changes to avoid creating a 'bigger spectacle' as his top officials underestimated the outrage from Trump's own base over the issue, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources. Khanna said Attorney General Pam Bondi triggered 'a crisis of trust' by saying there was no list of Epstein clients after previously implying that one existed. The change in position unleashed a tsunami of calls for her resignation from Trump's MAGA base. 'This is about trust in government,' the California Democrat told 'Meet the Press.' 'This is about being a reform agent of transparency.' Advertisement 4 The uproar over disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could undermine public trust in the Trump administration. AP President Donald Trump, who on Sunday announced an EU trade deal in Scotland, has been frustrated by continued questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and 2019 death by suicide in prison. Massie and Khanna believe they can win enough support from fellow lawmakers to force a vote on their resolution when Congress returns from its summer recess in September. But they face opposition from Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent lawmakers home a day early to stymie Democratic efforts to force a vote before the break. Advertisement 4 A photo of the cell where Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide. CBS 60 MINUTES Johnson, who also appeared on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' said he favors a non-binding alternative resolution that calls for release of 'credible' evidence, but which he said would better protect victims including minors. 'The Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented,' Johnson said. 'It does not adequately include those protections.' Massie dismissed Johnson's claim as 'a straw man' excuse. 'Ro and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names will be redacted,' he said. 'They're hiding behind that.' Trump has tried and failed so far to distract attention from the Epstein controversy six months into his second term. 4 Trump shakes hands with US House Speaker Mike Johnson as he hosts a dinner with Republican members of the U.S. Congress in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2025. REUTERS On Saturday, Trump repeated his claims without evidence that 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and other Democrats should be prosecuted over payment for endorsements from celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and the Reverend Al Sharpton. Last week he accused former President Barack Obama of 'treason' over how the Obama administration treated intelligence about Russian interference in US elections nine years ago, drawing a rebuke from an Obama spokesperson. Advertisement Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said on Sunday that Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, had found new information that investigators initially discovered no evidence of Russian election interference but changed their position after Obama told them to keep looking. 'I'm not alleging he committed treason, but I am saying it bothers me,' Graham told 'Meet the Press.' Democratic Representative Jason Crow dismissed Gabbard's claims, telling the 'Fox News Sunday' program that the national intelligence director had turned herself into 'a weapon of mass distraction.' The Department of Justice has said it is forming a strike force to assess Gabbard's claims.
New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump and Starmer to Meet in Scotland to Discuss Trade and Gaza
President Trump will host Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain at his two golf courses in Scotland on Monday, the day after announcing a deal with the European Union designed to avoid a costly economic war with America's biggest trading bloc. Mr. Trump announced on Sunday that Europe had agreed to tariffs of 15 percent on automobiles and most other E.U. goods, after meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the E.U.'s executive branch. The tariffs are higher than the 10 percent duty on most British goods that Britain, which is not in the European Union, agreed to in a deal that Mr. Starmer and Mr. Trump struck in May. The 27-nation bloc also agreed to buy $750 billion worth of U.S. energy and invest $600 billion in the United States, Mr. Trump said. Trade is among the topics that Mr. Trump and Mr. Starmer are expected to discuss when they meet first at Mr. Trump's Turnberry golf club on the west coast of Scotland and then travel to the other side of the country for dinner at the president's other club, in Aberdeen. The two leaders are expected to resume efforts to resolve a dispute about U.S. tariffs on British steel and aluminum, which remain at 25 percent. In June, Britain and the United States signed an agreement to resolve other trade issues, with both sides saying the deal would benefit both countries. British officials said they expect the all-day agenda to also include the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the grinding war in Ukraine. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
