![\"Reading](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/REG-L-WelcomingOrdMTRpodium.jpg\")
Reading resident Daniel Cortez speaks during Reading City Council\u2019s meeting Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, where a Welcoming Ordinance was passed unanimously. (Abigail English \u2013 Make the Road Pennsylvania)<\/p>\nCity Council voted unanimously Monday night to adopt an ordinance declaring Reading a welcoming city.<\/p>\n
The ordinance formalizes existing policies intended to ensure that all residents are treated equitably regardless of citizenship or immigration status.<\/p>\n
The measure, supported by Mayor Eddie Moran, prohibits city officials and employees, including police, from inquiring about an individual\u2019s immigration status or cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agencies unless required by federal or state law or a judicial order.<\/p>\n
Because Moran was unable to attend the meeting, Managing Director Jack Gombach read a statement on his behalf following the vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am proud to have introduced the Welcoming City Ordinance, and I want to thank Reading City Council for their support in voting to approve it,\u201d the mayor\u2019s statement read. \u201cI wanted Reading to live up to its values as a city where every resident feels safe, respected and at home. Our diversity is our greatest strength, and this ordinance reaffirms that we all stand for dignity, fairness and opportunity for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moran said the unanimous vote reflected the community\u2019s spirit and shared commitment to unity.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, we showed what makes Reading so special,\u201d his statement said. \u201cWhen we stand together as one community, we are standing stronger, kinder and more unified.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ordinance formally codifies practices already in place within city departments, Gombach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt codifies, in essence, what the Police Department has already done internally through policy and guidance since 2013,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd our view, not too different from what you\u2019re seeing in communities across the commonwealth, is finding opportunities to codify practices so that they transcend administrations and ensure that future mayors, future councils and future police chiefs follow the law.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the ordinance prevents city police from assisting federal immigration enforcement operations, it does not restrict federal agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from carrying out their own duties within Reading, nor does it affect the Berks County Sheriff\u2019s Department if it cooperates with federal officials.<\/p>\n
Shaykayarira Delrio-Gonzalez, a member of the Reading School Board, said the law is not meant to shield violent offenders but will instead protect innocent families and children from living in constant terror.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis ordinance ensures that our local police stay focused on local crime, not federal immigration enforcement,\u201d Delrio-Gonzalez said during the meeting\u2019s public comment period.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes it clear that Reading police will not enter into agreement with ICE so families can call 911 without the fear of being torn apart. This ordinance is about safety, stability and humanity. It is about maintaining local control, allowing law enforcement to focus on violence prevention, youth safety and the well-being of our neighborhoods, not federal immigration duties that were never meant for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reading resident Daniel Cortez speaks during Reading City Council\u2019s meeting Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, where a Welcoming Ordinance was passed unanimously. (Abigail English \u2013 Make the Road Pennsylvania)<\/p>\n
Several other speakers also addressed council, all expressing support for the measure and emphasizing that it would promote trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.<\/p>\n
The meeting room was filled with residents and advocates, including members of Make the Road Pennsylvania, which has supported the proposal since its introduction Oct. 13.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued after the vote, Make the Road co-executive director Patty Torres called the ordinance a vital step toward ensuring safety and justice for city residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are celebrating our local government\u2019s decision to protect our most vulnerable residents and their refusal to be complicit in vicious attacks that make every person less safe,\u201d Torres said. \u201cLocal 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Councilman Jaime Baez said the action sends a message of solidarity with city residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is symbolic; it is a firm stance that we stand with our community and our residents,\u201d Baez said. \u201cWe must be courageous to stand up, and we must be courageous to use our voice, especially for our residents and those who are vulnerable. That is what we were elected to do, is to stand up for our community and to be the voice of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council President Donna Reed called the vote an affirmation of human dignity and urged leaders in surrounding communities to take similar action.<\/p>\n
She credited the administration and city solicitors for addressing questions about the legislation before its passage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can be a leader here in the city of Reading with this ordinance, moving it forward and doing the right thing,\u201d Reed said. \u201cBut if you live in another municipality, Exeter, Muhlenberg, Shillington, West Reading, join us. Have some respect for the folks who live in your neighborhoods, because Berks County is a very diverse county. We can\u2019t just be the doughnut hole. We have to radiate out all the goodness that\u2019s going to happen here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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