Immigration activists compare Philadelphia mayor to Donald Trump

Responding to news that Mayor Michael Nutter, who leaves office in January, has backpedaled and restored Philadelphia’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities, local activists had a stern message: Philadelphia doesn’t need a “Michael Trump.”

After someone photo-shopped Nutter, a Democrat, onto the body of the Republican front-runner, activists quickly began distributing the meme on social media channels. The edited photo looks as though Nutter dons Trump’s fiery coif.

The satirical photo makes a terse jab at Nutter as he leaves office, conflating his newfound coziness with federal immigration policy with Trump’s routinely controversial remarks about immigrants.

As it tweeted out the meme, immigration advocacy group Juntos declared that Nutter was “playing into exactly what Trump wants” which Juntos called “the further criminalization of the immigrant community.”

Just last year, Think Progress reported thatNuttersigned an executive order restricting the city’s cooperation with so-called “ICE holds,” a maneuver federal authorities use asking local law enforcement to detain –without a warrant – immigrants suspected of living in the U.S. without documentation. When Nuttersigned that order, conservatives nationwide began calling Philadelphia a “sanctuary city” derisively.

Today, Nutterreversed course a bit, saying local authorities would at least considercooperatingwith federal warrantless detention of immigrants – if certain criteria were met.

According to journalistMax Marin of Al Día, those criteria include: if the individual is suspected of terrorism or espionage; if the person has been convicted of a first degree felony like murder or rape; and, if the person is being released from local custody andhasa prior first degree felony conviction.

Local immigration advocates at the New Sanctuary Movement swiftly criticized Nutter’sreversal, calling the move Nutter’sown”deportation law” while simultaneouslypraising the anticipatedpolicies of incoming Mayor-Elect Jim Kenney.

For his part, Kenney has, in the past,signaled support of Nutter’s original policy of refusing to cooperate with ICE holds.