Philadelphia Joins New Travel Ban Fight, Joins Two Dozen Other Municipalities

Philadelphia has joined dozens of other municipalities in the nation that have come out against the Trump administration's new travel ban.

Philly joined two dozen other cities and counties across six states in a friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief filed in a Seattle federal district court, Mayor Jim Kenney's office said in a statement Wednesday.

The new ban restricts travel from six Muslim-majority countries and was introduced after a first attempt at banning travel from select countries was met with fierce opposition.

The affected countries are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Residents of those places are not able to enter the U.S. for 90 days under the ban. Additionally, people with refugee status are not permitted to enter the U.S. for 120 days under the ban.

"It is vitally important for us to join other cities to show that this revised second travel ban is still legally flawed," City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante said in a statement. "By joining in this brief, we want to inform the Court that we believe that the travel ban is not only illegal, but it also hurts Philadelphia and offends the values that make this City a welcoming place for refugees fleeing persecution and for immigrants seeking to start a new life.”

According to the release from Kenney's office, at least 197,563 – 14 percent – of Philly residents are immigrants and about 108,010 of the total of 640,661 Philadelphia work force are foreign born.

The Seattle court is considering the States’ emergency motion to apply its existing injunction to the new executive order, the release said.

"The Cities' amicus brief explains the vital contribution that immigrants make to our cities and country, points out that classifications based on religion and natural origin are presumptively invalid, and argues that the travel ban is misguided and unconstitutional," the release stares.

“I’m proud that Philadelphia has joined with other cities throughout our nation to oppose the revised travel ban,” city Director of Immigrant Affairs Miriam Enriquez said in a statement. “This reinforces Philadelphia’s commitment to protecting our immigrant and refugee communities, and to being a welcoming city to all."

Philly joins Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston; Central Falls, Rhode Island; Gary, Ithaca, Jersey City, Madison, Minneapolis; Montgomery County, Maryland; Oakland, Portland, Saint Paul, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose; Santa Clara County, California; Santa Monica, Seattle, Skokie, South Bend, and West Hollywood in the amicus brief.

"As Mayor Kenney has pledged, the City of Philadelphia will continue to stand up against anything that threatens our city’s inclusive and diverse practices," the release states.

A list of resources to help keep that promise is available online here.

Image via Masha George, Flickr Commons