Monday night, following months of advocacy from Make the Road Pennsylvania, Berks Stands Up, Bring the Change, the LGBTQ Center of Reading, and the ACLU of Pennsylvania, Reading City Council voted unanimously to approve a Welcoming City ordinance. The ordinance prohibits local police and other city employees from collaborating with or assisting ICE and other federal immigration enforcement agencies unless ordered to do so by a federal judge. Reading has the highest percentage of Latinos of any municipality in Pennsylvania: nearly 69%. The City Council meeting was packed by community members, where numerous community members read personal testimonies.
Following the vote, Patty Torres, co-executive director of Make the Road Pennsylvania, released the following statement on behalf of the organization’s 14,000 members:
“Today, we are celebrating our local government’s decision to protect our most vulnerable residents and their refusal to be complicit in vicious attacks that make every person less safe. We are grateful for the leadership of Mayor Eddie Moran in introducing this ordinance and all Reading city council members for demonstrating true leadership to protect our own in Pennsylvania’s most Latino city. The moment we are in calls for urgency and concrete action – and tonight, we watched Reading City Council answer that call.
“We know that we are safe when we invest local resources into creating communities where children and families can live, work, play, learn, pray, and grow without the fear of violence. Local police and elected officials are not required to help ICE, and their limited resources should be focused on keeping our communities safe – not doing the job of federal immigration enforcement. The passage of this ordinance reaffirms a shared commitment to creating a safer and more just city for all who choose to call Reading home.”
Reading Mayor Eddie Moran said: “I am proud to have introduced the Welcoming City Ordinance, and I want to thank the Reading City Council for their support in voting to approve it. I wanted Reading to live up to its values, a city where every resident feels safe, respected, and at home. Our diversity is our greatest strength, and this ordinance reaffirms that we stand for dignity, fairness, and opportunity for all. Together, we showed what makes Reading special. When we stand as one community, we are stronger, kinder, and more unified.”
Milka Uribe, Reading resident and member leader of Make the Road Pennsylvania, said: “I have lived in the city of Reading for fifteen years. Right now, we are living through a deeply painful situation fueled by hate and division. Families do not dare to go out together on our streets, they do not visit public places, they do not want to take their children to school – for fear of being detained or separated. These are people who work hard for their families and the development of Reading. I am proud of our leaders for standing up for the people who are the heartbeat of Reading.”
Briana Rodriguez, Regional Organizing Manager of Pennsylvania Stands Up, said: “It’s important that all of our residents, no matter their status, are able to feel not only a sense of safety but a sense of freedom. Freedom to live and participate in their community, to shop, to learn, to find care. This ordinance is the path to living up to the American value of freedom and liberty for ALL. This was a true collaboration — people got organized and our elected leaders had our backs.”
Jaime Baez, Reading City Councilmember, said: “I’m proud, honored, and blessed to have supported an ordinance that will positively impact so many lives. As someone who knows firsthand the hardships our immigrant families face, I stand by this decision with conviction. This country was built by immigrants, from the Irish to the Mexican, and as humans we all want to feel that we belong. The Welcoming Ordinance affirms that belonging while standing up to the federal government’s atrocious and inhumane policies. It’s about human dignity and the courage to do what’s right.”
Melissa Ventura, Reading City Councilmember, said: “Welcoming isn’t just what we do, it’s who we are. Tonight Reading chose unity over fear!”
Vanessa Campos, Reading City Councilmember, said: “I stand with all our underrepresented and vulnerable communities. I represent each of you, and I am no different than you. This Welcoming City ordinance is a small step towards justice. As the fight for equity and dignity is ongoing, we must continue to stand strong. I am thankful for the administration’s support and the unanimous vote from our councilors today. Unidos jamas seremos vencidos!”
