January 22, 2016 – Philadelphia, PA

Immigrant communities in Philadelphia and nationally reacted with outrage today as the Department of Homeland Security announced that former Mayor Nutter would be named to the DHS advisory committee.

“When Mayor Nutter betrayed our communities and his own policy, we knew it was more about his own future than about the well-being of the city of Philadelphia,” explainsErika Almiron, executive director of Juntos. “We can’t have people who say they represent us putting their career before the people. We hope in his new role he considers the community whose pressure made him a temporary hero instead of his career that left his legacy in disgrace.”

Amongst the “revolt” against DHS deportation policies in 2014, Philadelphia under Nutter’s administration became a bright spot when community and organizing pushed him to create one of the most progressive policies on preventing law enforcement involvement with federal deportation agents. Having met with families who had been targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Nutter became known for saying “any policy that separates families is an unjust policy.”

But with just weeks left in office at the end of 2015, Mayor Nutter reversed his stance and signed the city up for the revamped version of the federal program he had previously rejected in what was quickly identified as a career move and rumored to have been pressured by the Democratic establishment. (A move that the new Mayor of Philadelphia reversed within hours of taking office.)

Nutter’s appointment today to the DHS advisory council serves as confirmation of his suspected motivation and is causing worry among those seeking to end inhumane practices at DHS.

Marisa Franco, director of the #Not1More Campaign, added, “Immigration policy under this administration has been ruled by political calculation instead of just principles or humane practices. Appointing former Mayor Nutter to the DHS advisory council would make it appear that that has not changed. In today’s press release, Secretary Johnson says he hopes to get alot done in his final year. If Nutter is to be an advisor for those tasks, it raises questions about what DHS intends to do to our communities this year. With Trump poisoning the well, we need leadership that can be an antidote to his hate, not those who easily succumb to the virus.”

###