Detained far from home | Morning Newsletter
And South Philly encampment residents’ request.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
It’s set to be a sunny Thursday, Philly.
For Philadelphia-area immigrants, an arrest by federal agents can take them thousands of miles from home. Some say that’s by design.
And homeless encampment residents along the Delaware River Trail in South Philly want “safe sleep sites” where they can legally camp.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
Amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts, thousands of people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement near Philadelphia have been transferred to facilities across the country.
Often, they end up hundreds of miles from their lawyers, families, and communities.
By the numbers: More than 12,000 people were placed in detention in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware in the nine months after Trump took office. Those detentions involved nearly 20,000 transfers. More than a third of detainees were transferred three or more times.
Transfers’ impact: ICE says it moves people to make use of available bed space, for medical needs, and to meet specific security and custody determinations. But those caught in ICE’s detention web and their advocates say transfers seem designed to wear down their resolve and complicate their ability to fight deportation.
Notable quote: “The point is to not make it easy for them, so they give up,” said one local immigration attorney who has seen clients arrested in Philadelphia and transferred to the Deep South or Far West.
Residents of a homeless encampment at 1525 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd. were told that they have until this Friday to move their tents or see them destroyed. It’s not the first time they’ve experienced displacement on this stretch of the Delaware River Trail.
Such encampments provide safety and community to those who are resistant to entering shelters, they say.
The residents are now asking city leaders to do more to help them, primarily by creating “safe sleep sites” where people could legally camp as they wait for permanent housing.
Their request arrives as sleeping in public spaces has come under increased scrutiny in recent years.
Reporter Ximena Conde has more.
What you should know today
Law enforcement officers filled a Downingtown church on Wednesday to honor State Police Cpl. Timothy O’Connor, who was shot and killed last week during a traffic stop in West Caln Township.
Four years after killing his former friend, a Boothwyn man was sentenced to life in prison.
A Pennsylvania state lawmaker is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a motorist who on Monday punched a school crossing guard in Darby Borough .
New Jersey lawmakers are trying to ban grocery stores from using “surveillance pricing,” a term for when companies change their prices for different customers based on their personal data.
The Working Families Party and allied political groups are backing State Rep. Chris Rabb for Congress, making him the favorite among the city’s left-leaning organizations.
In a rare move, Philly landlords filed a lawsuit Wednesday against City Council to delay a vote on legislation meant to protect renters.
The Philadelphia Housing Authority is spending $49.1 million to buy a new, 200-unit apartment building in North Philly.
The insurance giant Chubb has sold its historic Walnut Street office building to a New York developer known for Central Park skyscrapers.
Submissions to 311 can no longer be made public. The city says that’s to protect the system and staff after seeing “a large number of anonymous submissions with inappropriate content.”
Quote of the day
Consumers around the country are paying more to heat their homes this winter, both because of rate increases and persistent frozen temperatures. We asked Philly-area residents what it costs to warm a Fairmount condo, a farmhouse near Downingtown, and more.
In other housing news: Delaware County is one of only five counties in the Mid-Atlantic where the typical home is affordable for the typical buyer.
🧠 Trivia time
In 1892, cigar smoker and Philadelphia patent lawyer Joshua Pusey received a United States patent for which fiery invention?
A) A glass hookah
B) A flamethrower
C) A flexible matchbook
D) A fire piston
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re …
🏀 Remembering: That time Immaculata won the first women’s college basketball national title.
📷 Viewing: Griff Davis’ historic black-and-white photos at Lincoln University.
🏠 Learning: How homeowners are renovating their kitchens so they can age in place.
🖋️ Reading: The debut book of this journalist-turned-poet who chronicles her Cherry Hill childhood.
⚕️ Considering: How vaccine misinformation puts children at risk.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Small, private higher-ed institution in Montgomery County
THORNY BELL AGENCY
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Milenko Predic, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Delaware River Port Authority. The bistate agency has been ordered by a New Jersey judge to comply with subpoenas issued by a state watchdog seeking documents and testimony about its procurement policies, contracts, and leases.
Photo of the day
🍎 One last protested thing: Overbrook Elementary School in West Philly is small, but it’s mostly full and outperforms its peers. The Philadelphia School District is trying to close it — again. Its community is pushing back.
Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. Paola has you covered tomorrow.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.