Are Immigrants Welcome in Philadelphia?

Tuesday, April 12 · 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Broad Street Ministries
315 S. Broad Street (across from Kimmel Center)
Philadelphia PA


Debaters will discuss the impact of local policies on the relationships between immigrant communities, citizen communities and the city government.

Topics will include:
1. city security policies that encourage or prevent racial profiling; 2. police response to domestic violence situations;
3. language access in linguistically diverse neighborhoods;
4. immigrant-friendly schools; and, especially, the pros and cons of the current information-sharing agreement between the Philadelphia Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security's office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Pro: Sarah Paoletti, JD Practice Associate Professor of
Law, University of Pennsylvania Director, Transnational Legal
Clinic, Advocate for comprehensive immigration reform and protection of human rights for all immigrants.

Con: Stu Bykofsky
Sut Bykofsky columnist with the Philadelphia Daily News since 1987, Member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and Philadelphia's Pen and Pencil Club. He is a strong proponent of legal immigration and specifically opposes illegal immigration, as he opposes illegality in general.

First District and At Large Candidates for City Council will be asked to state their position on these important issues following the debate.

Co-sponsors of this event: New Sanctuary Movement, JUNTOS, Broad Street Ministries, Central Baptist Church Immigration Justice Group (Wayne, PA), HIAS Migration and Council, Friends of Farmworkers, Arch St. United Methodist Church, Institute for Community Justice, Center for Constitutional Rights, National Day Laborers Organizing Network, Philly Childcare Collective, Rights Working Group, Democracia Ahora PA, Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians