Large turnout for ‘immigrant bystander’ training

Posted 2/26/26

Several groups, including West Mt. Airy Neighbors and Reclaim Philadelphia, hosted an “immigrant bystander” training event at the Unitarian Society of Germantown on Saturday.

The event saw a large turnout, with attendees filling all seats at the church, to learn about First Amendment rights relating to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests.

State Sen. Art Haywood spoke at the event, saying, “What I’ve seen and heard from reports is that we are not facing the Minnesota all-out assault. We know that, but we are facing a slow-moving assault. Individuals are being taken …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

You can also purchase this individual item for $1.50

Please log in to continue

Log in

Large turnout for ‘immigrant bystander’ training

Posted

Several groups, including West Mt. Airy Neighbors and Reclaim Philadelphia, hosted an “immigrant bystander” training event at the Unitarian Society of Germantown on Saturday.

The event saw a large turnout, with attendees filling all seats at the church, to learn about First Amendment rights relating to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests.

State Sen. Art Haywood spoke at the event, saying, “What I’ve seen and heard from reports is that we are not facing the Minnesota all-out assault. We know that, but we are facing a slow-moving assault. Individuals are being taken from their homes. Individuals are being taken from the ICE office.”

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the First Amendment protects the right to record and document law enforcement, including ICE agents, police, FBI, National Guard troops, and other government officials in public places.

The training focused on calmly recording from a safe distance, letting the detained person and ICE know you are recording, and if asked to step back, recording yourself stepping back.