PHOTOS: How the government shutdown is impacting Philadelphia
How the standoff between Trump and Congress is affecting federal employees, immigration courts and tourism
A sign in front of Independence Hall which is part of the Independence National Historical Park, Wed. Jan. 9, 2019.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
by Thom Carroll PhillyVoice Contributor
As the nation prepares to tie, and potentially surpass, the record for longest government shutdown in U.S. history on Friday, Philadelphia is feeling the effects.
From federal employees to the immigration courts to the tourism industry, people are being impacted on many levels in different areas of the city.
Here are some images of how people are discovering in real life the shutdown's impact.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceA sign on the door of the U.S. Immigration Court at 900 Market Street states that due to the government shutdown, all cases before the court of immigration have been postponed and an advisory will be sent in the mail.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe Philadelphia Immigration Court at 900 Market Street in Philadelphia.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe moment when Nandini Ananthula, of Iowa City, realized the building was closed due to the government shutdown. “We parked over a mile away and walked here specifically to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell,” said Ananthula who was with her sister, brother-in law and nephew from India visiting Philadelphia for the day. “We really hoped to see it because they're visiting [from India] for the first time.”
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe entry doors to the Liberty Bell are locked with chains during the U.S. government shutdown, Wed. Jan. 9, 2019.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceA volunteer group from Michigan peer into a side window to get a glimpse of the Liberty Bell during the government shutdown, Wed. Jan. 9, 2019. They visited other museums in the area that were open, along with Valley Forge National Park, where a temporary visitor's center was open and being run by volunteers. A volunteer at Valley Forge said the main center was closed for renovations and that nearly all bathrooms were also closed.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice“A lot of us are hurting, please tell our story,” said a woman who works for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and asked for anonymity as she was told not to speak with the press. “We could get fined up to $5,000 and two years in jail for touching our computers during the shutdown, but we are eager to go back to work because a lot of what we do is time-sensitive.”