Philly immigrant groups call for general strike on Super Bowl Sunday in protest of Trump admin policies

Pro-immigrant groups are calling for a general strike on Super Bowl Sunday in Philadelphia in order to show how important immigrants are to the regional economy.

The groups gathered outside of City Hall Friday morning and were joined by Democratic elected officials from around the Philadelphia metro region, who said the strike is a response to the impact that the Trump administration’s immigration orders are having in communities throughout the state.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has signed a series of executive orders and enacted other policies to end birthright citizenship, declared a national emergency at the nation’s southern border and stopped the process of resettling refugees.

“Already, we are seeing communities across our city, our state, this nation terrorized, family separated by ICE, refugees and asylum seekers’ rights being denied,” said Jasmine Rivera, executive director of the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition.

“That means immigrant workers stay home and immigrant customers stay home, too,” she said.

Rivera said the action will continue with a boycott of national businesses through Valentine’s Day where people should only make purchases through local merchants.

State Sen. Sharif Street said Pennsylvania officials would not allow the Trump restrictions to take hold in the state.

“It harkens of racial profiling because none of us can look undocumented,” Street said. “You cannot look at someone and determine whether they are undocumented.”

Philadelphia City Councilmember Rue Landau said people should not live in fear and should continue normal activities.

“Go to school, go to the doctors, go to your social services agencies where you’ve had your appointments, where you also might get your medical care,” Landau said.

District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office will be watching to see if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents violate the regulations. If so, Krasner said he would go after them.

“This criminal president is in trouble if he thinks he’s going to drive a tank over the U.S. Constitution,” Krasner said.

State Sen. Nikil Saval said the Trump administration is in for a fight.

“ICE raids and detentions are acts of violence designed to terrorize communities under the directive of right-wing leaders and the billionaires that prop them up,” Saval said.

Mayor Cherelle Parker spoke earlier this week of a raid in the Juniata Park neighborhood, saying that ICE was “empowered by their organization’s federal autonomy to do what they did.” She said the Philadelphia City Solicitor would monitor the situation.