Pittsburgh City Council passed the first of a trio of bills intended to limit cooperation between the city and federal immigration agencies.
Bill 286, which cleared unanimously on Tuesday, prevents city police and all other employees from gathering or sharing information about residents’ immigration status. It includes a sweep of prohibitions against other forms of targeting based on people’s perceived nationalities and outlaws cooperation with federal agents to identify or apprehend their targets.
It now goes to Mayor Corey O’Connor, who plans to sign the bill, according to his spokesperson.
Councilor Barb Warwick, a co-sponsor, said the bill generally codifies positions supported by O’Connor and his predecessor Ed Gainey.
“We here at the City of Pittsburgh value our immigrant community and are dedicated to making sure that that community is safe,” Warwick said. “They should feel comfortable engaging with the City of Pittsburgh without fear.”
The other bills, 288 and 289, respectively ban immigration enforcement in city-run property and establish protected community spaces where federal officers must show a judicial warrant to enter.
“These two bills work in tandem with the last, in that they further define how we use our city-owned properties,” co-sponsor Deb Gross said during a committee meeting last week.
The bills were proposed together, though only 286 advanced through a tentative vote last week ready for today’s final vote.The others were held for further committee consideration.
Members, including Council President Dan Lavelle, expressed caution about the language of the remaining two.
“My concern is potentially passing a bill which says to the public, ‘if you step inside this building you are protected,’ when in fact that’s actually not the case,” Lavelle said.
Lavelle moved to postpone a vote to ensure the bills are “legally defensible.”
Several residents spoke in support of the bills on April 7.
“We must accept that this is a city of immigrants,” said Elias Kuhn, a Point Breeze resident who supports the trio of bills.
Gross said she was aware that the latter two bills went “above and beyond” the language of one recently passed by Allegheny County, adding that she wanted to make sure that the city’s position on ICE was clear to residents.
“It’s our job to defend our constituents, and it’s our job to protect their rights,” she said.
Editor’s note: This story was updated after initial publication to reflect information received about the mayor’s intention to sign the bill.
Jamese Platt is an editorial intern and can be reached at jamese@publicsource.org.
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