April 23, 2026
Michaela Althouse/PhillyVoice
Philadelphia City Council approved a bill package Thursday limiting the rights of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and strengthening protections for immigrant communities.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will now be limited in what they can do in Philadelphia after City Council approved a seven-bill package with protections for the city's migrant community.
The "ICE Out" legislation bans agents from wearing faces masks, using unmarked vehicles and conducting raids on city-owned properties. It also prohibits city agencies from sharing data or collaborating with ICE, and it makes discrimination based on immigration or citizenship status illegal.
The majority of the bills passed 16-1, with Councilmember Brian O'Neill (R-10th), the council's sole Republican, voting against all but one of the measures. Councilmember Mike Driscoll (D-6th) also voted against the mask legislation and one banning use of community spaces for "government purposed not authorized by the city or the courts." The bill prohibiting discrimination based on immigration status passed unanimously.
The bills were introduced by Councilmembers Rue Landau (D-At-Large) and Kendra Brooks (Working Families Party-At-Large) in January and received preliminary approval at City Council's Committee of the Whole meeting on April 13. At the time, Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration said that it supported the intent of the bill package, but that some of the legislation contained "problematic language" that could make enforcement difficult.
Since the bills were approved by at least 12 members, it constitutes a supermajority, making it veto-proof by Parker. However, the mayor can let the legislation become law without her signature, if she chooses.
Since the start of his second term in January 2025, President Donald Trump has cracked down on immigration and launched mass deportation efforts. ICE agents have been tasked with conducting raids and arrests to carry out these plans. Cities across the country have responded with protests, especially following the deaths of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
"This legislation shows that Philadelphians are not afraid to stand up to the Trump administration," Brooks said following the vote. "The overwhelming support for this legislation has given me a much-needed source of hope amidst the Trump administration's ongoing attacks on our democracy and on our people. It puts all of us in the city of Philadelphia on the right side of history."
Landau said that with the passage of this bill package, Philadelphia has some of the toughest immigration protections among U.S. cities.
"Philly is now on the map, the entire country and possibly the world is watching us as having some of the strongest 'ICE Out' protections in the entire country," Landau said.
During Thursday's meeting, the governing body also approved the Safe Healthy Homes Act, which offers additional tenant protections for renters. Many supporters celebrated the approval of both pieces of legislation, holding signs which read "ICE out, Safe Healthy Homes in."
