Allegheny County Council voted Tuesday to bar county employees from most forms of cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
The bill passed, 11-3, and applies to the county’s hundreds of police officers, sheriff’s deputies and prosecutorial detectives. County Executive Sara Innamorato said after the meeting she will sign the bill into law, but warned that its effect would be limited and that county residents, businesses and governments must “stay vigilant in supporting our immigrant and refugee neighbors.”
Council members Jordan Botta, Nick Futules, Dan Grzybek, Bethany Hallam, Paul Klein, Kathleen Madonna-Emmerling, Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis, John Palmiere, Bob Palmosina, Alex Rose and Lisa Geiger Shulman voted in favor of the bill and Aaron Adams, Suzanne Filiaggi and DeWitt Walton voted against it.
Council President Pat Catena abstained, saying his family was threatened in the run-up to the vote and he did not want to be swayed in any direction by the threat.
The bill was introduced in late January as national tension grew over ICE activity in Minneapolis and other cities. Here in Allegheny County, ICE arrests in Oakmont, Springdale and elsewhere have stirred activism and municipal legislation. The county’s patchwork of municipalities and school districts have enacted disparate policies, some aiming to aid ICE and some vowing not to do so.
“In my heart, I have Jose Flores from Oakmont. Taken when he was getting his daughter ready for school,” said Futules before he voted to approve the bill. “He was my neighbor and I know him. Randy Cordova, from Springdale, was also taken … How horrible is that?”
“On behalf of these [people], I’m a yes vote for this bill,” Futules said.
The county’s new policy will apply to agencies that impact the entire county, including not only law enforcement but also the county’s Department of Human Services, which provides services to some of the county’s most vulnerable populations, including many immigrants.
The bill prohibits county employees from a number of actions, unless a state or federal law says otherwise, including:
- Inquiring as to a resident’s immigration status
- Retaining citizenship information provided on county documents for more than 60 days
- Entering into a contract with federal authorities to access county data to support immigration enforcement
- Detaining a person for no legal reason other than a federal immigration detainer request
- Assisting ICE or border patrol “in any capacity” with enforcement operations.
Walton opposed the bill, calling it “fundamentally worthless,” but said he has other plans for holding ICE accountable.
“What we should be doing now is drafting a resolution to clearly state, wherever ICE violates a person’s civil rights, legal rights, we arrest their ass,” Walton said. “Lock them up.”
Dozens of county residents packed the meeting room to tell council their opinion, with most speakers supporting the bill. Public comment last for more than two hours.
“My ancestors who came here in the early 20th century came here because they believed in that vision that everyone has a shot in this country. What ICE is doing goes against that motion, goes against American values.”
“My ancestors who came here in the early 20th century came here because they believed in that vision that everyone has a shot in this country,” said Zachary Fedyk, a law student at the University of Pittsburgh. “What ICE is doing goes against that motion, goes against American values.”
Marie Thomas, a Brighton Heights resident, said she fears for her husband, who is an immigrant.
“He is here legally, so he shouldn’t be worried, right? Wrong,” Thomas said. “We’ve seen ICE kill citizens.”
Another speaker used her allotted time to lead much of the crowd in a rendition of the song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.”
A few speakers urged council to reject the bill, citing the Bible.
“Officials who leave the door open to provisions like this leave the door wide open for God’s judgement,” said Aaron Pratt of the Redeemer Church of South Hills. “Be men under god, don’t give in to empathy.”
Amendments blocked
Multiple members who criticized the bill at a committee meeting last week tried and failed to amend it before its final passage.
Aaron Adams, the chair of the Committee on Public Safety, proposed amendments to sunset the bill on Jan. 1, 2029 and to exempt employees from law enforcement agencies from the bill’s effect. Six of the 15 members supported the amendment.
Suzanne Filiaggi proposed creating a system for county employees to seek and follow advice from the county law department before taking action at ICE’s request. That amendment drew five votes.
Council president threatened
Catena said a person came to his house earlier Tuesday and threatened his life and his son’s in relation to the vote. He did not say if the perpetrator supported or opposed the bill limiting ICE cooperation.
“When someone threatens an elected official and their family in an attempt to influence a vote, that crosses a line that should alarm every single person who cares about democracy,” Catena said. “… If the goal of this threat was to silence me or intimidate this council, clearly you can see that it has failed.”
He said he reported the threat to law enforcement.
Charlie Wolfson is PublicSource’s local government reporter. He can be reached at charlie@publicsource.org.
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