PHILADELPHIA — While this city has yet to see targeted U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) raids like those in Chicago and Los Angeles, locals remain concerned. Earlier this year, ICE detained a cafe owner, showed up at a Puerto Rican restaurant, and arrested several undocumented people in a neighborhood park. 

Latinos are Philadelphia’s fastest-growing ethnic demographic, and small business owners, nonprofit organizations, and lawyers are stepping up as allies and activists to protect immigrants and undocumented workers. Several spoke with The Latino Newsletter about their plans.

Triple Bottom Brewing hosts free “Know Your Rights” workshops with local nonprofits, Juntos and The Welcoming Center. They educate staff, other restaurant owners, and vendors on common ICE tactics and response protocols. Tips range from printing visible signs for private, employee-only spaces and creating action plans with emergency contacts to spotting and recording ICE, cross-checking the legitimacy and accuracy of warrants, and role-playing ICE drills with designated leaders and mock customers. 

“Knowing exactly what to do and what we can do even before there's an interaction with ICE is so empowering,” Triple Bottom Brewing co-founder and CEO Tess Hart said.

The Welcoming Center has found itself playing a role beyond economic development, responding to the community’s needs. They've conducted multilingual training for other hospitality industry and immigrant entrepreneurs in partnership with law firm Green & Spiegel, Greenline Access Capital, and Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, with requests for more city-wide sessions. Similarly, this year the Garces Foundation has continued training for teachers, volunteers, and immigrant communities, and is hiring an evening staff person. Robin Morris, Executive Director at Garces Foundation, says increased security and trust in their name within the community has led to record enrollment numbers in their education programs. 

“There’s a lot of collaboration support,” Morris said. “Our building is on board with the neighborhood to let us know [about ICE’s presence], with quick sharing of communication and information.”

Flashpoint Gallery owners Lauren and Jay Shifman facilitate design workshops and collaborate with local artists to make anti-ICE posters and flyers (like these cards) that are plastered on construction walls and outside public spaces to equip community networks.

“There is a sort of street awareness and trying to bring people into a resistance mentality,” Lauren said. 

Jay says he hopes these signs — even if provocative — resonate with larger audiences, showing unity and strength in resistance. “We cannot pretend that if we play by the rules, the other side is going to,” he explained.

Design as resistance is also Wilde & Lovely’s current strategy, as outlined by Christian Calabrese and Liana Vazquez-Calabrese. 

“For me, it's happening literally down the street. I went to Home Depot last week, and I saw them [ICE] out there parked,” Vazquez-Calabrese said. They feel driven to action and “uplift the culture” by designing “wearable protest moments.” Their Instagram graphic evolved into popular pins and construction worker-style shirts. A portion of the shirt proceeds support families affected by ICE through the help of a local attorney.

Law firms Green & Spiegel and Landau, Hess, Simon, Choi & Doebley have been engaging not only with corporate clients but also with hospitality professionals and organizations like The Welcoming Center and the Mexican Consulate to provide clarity on the fast-changing U.S. immigration laws, enforcement priorities, and employer liability issues. 

A Green & Spiegel restaurant client whose owners chose to remain anonymous said there’s a need for greater accountability. Together, they made preparations to help employees if they are detained, including barring entry and demanding proper documentation from ICE. The restaurant owners want Philadelphia's restaurant community to unite in backing immigrant workers. They propose a rapid alert system for ICE activity and urge City officials, including police, not to aid ICE.

“The Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association and their counterparts around the country should be speaking up,” Anuj Gupta, President and CEO of The Welcoming Center, noted.

Wendy Castor Hess, partner at Landau, Hess, Simon, Choi & Doebley, agreed.

“Join your local association because they can speak collectively on your behalf. Also, reach out to members of Congress,” Hess added.

Alisha Miranda is a Philadelphia-based Puerto Rican-born freelance journalist and multimedia storyteller covering the people and culture shaping restaurants, bars, and destinations. Follow her at @alishainthebiz.

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L.A. Resistance: Latino USA’s latest episode focuses on the Los Angeles ICE raids.

Julio Ricardo Varela edited and published this edition of The Latino Newsletter.

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