An activist group called No ICE Philly staged a protest inside a Target store in South Philadelphia, leading to the arrest of about 40 demonstrators on February 6th. More than 100 protesters entered the store chanting “ICE out of Target now,” playing instruments, and urging the company to publicly oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions at its locations.
After police warned the group to leave, dozens exited the store, but roughly 40 remained seated on the floor and were arrested. No ICE Philly has organized similar demonstrations at Target stores across Philadelphia, framing the protests as pressure on the company to deny ICE access to its stores and parking lots without judicial warrants.
Group leaders, including Rabbi Linda Holtzman, argue that Target has effectively aligned itself with ICE and must take a public stand, describing the in-store protest as a necessary response to deportations.
The protest is part of a broader, decentralized “whistle kit” strategy modeled on campaigns in Chicago and Minneapolis. Beyond physical whistles, the kits include “know your rights” pamphlets, often printed using materials from the Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition and the New Sanctuary Movement, both funded through larger philanthropic pass-throughs such as the Tides Foundation.
Although No ICE Philly describes itself as “all-volunteer,” its infrastructure is supported by affiliated organizations. The Party for Socialism and Liberation organized the group’s January 26 rally at City Hall and is currently under Congressional investigation over ties to billionaire Neville Singham and potential CCP-linked dark money.
Protesters who are arrested are referred to bail and legal support networks including the NSM Community Fund and the Juntos Commissary Fund, which draw from the same liberal foundation networks that support SURJ.
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) is a national network founded in 2009 to organize white activists in support of racial and economic justice movements, operating on the premise that white people have a “mutual interest” in dismantling white supremacy and working under the leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color organizations.
From cause to cause, SURJ functions as a professional protest organization, repeatedly shifting its focus to the next issue. Over the past decade, it has organized campaigns around anti-Trump and anti-MAGA resistance, Black Lives Matter protests, Defund the Police, prison abolition, ending cash bail, Stop Cop City, justice for Manuel “Tortuguita” Terán, anti-RICO legal advocacy, ICE Out for Good, ending 287(g) agreements, anti-detention center mobilization, labor and economic justice, healthcare equity, and abortion rights.