County Council bars cooperation with federal immigration enforcement without warrant, urges state to spend $80 million on violence prevention

Top Issue in Allegheny County Council

• Council votes to block immigration enforcement cooperation without a warrant after council president's son receives death threat
• Council calls on state to invest $80 million in violence prevention after county homicides drop nearly 60%                                                                               

Council votes to block immigration enforcement cooperation without a warrant after council president's son receives death threat🔗

 Allegheny County officials will not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.

The vote by Allegheny County Council to codify that came March 10 after two hours of public comment and nearly an hour of member discussion. Council approved the measure with 11 votes in favor, three opposed and Council President Patrick Catena of Carnegie abstaining.

Catena participated in the meeting by phone because his son received a death threat at their home that morning. He expressed his anger at the situation and that neither he, nor the rest of council, could be intimidated or threatened into silence. He said he was abstaining from the vote because he did not want “to allow anyone to claim that threats or intimidation had any influence over the democratic process or the outcome of my decision.”

Prior to the final vote, council members debated proposed amendments to the legislation including two from council member Aaron Adams of Duquesne. One would have sunset the bill on Jan. 1, 2029. It failed nine to six. His second, which, among other things, would have exempted the Fifth Judicial District, county police and the offices of the controller, district attorney, sheriff and treasurer, failed five to 10.

The ordinance as introduced went to the county executive for her signature.

Council calls on state to invest $80 million in violence prevention after county homicides drop nearly 60% 🔗

Council passed a resolution urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly to invest in community-led violence prevention programs for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

The resolution requested that at least $80 million be set aside for the violence intervention and prevention program. It also supported the governor’s request for $12.5 million for the Building Opportunity through Out of School Time (BOOST) program.

The resolution backed up the request by noting that there have been fewer shootings and homicides in part because of the state’s Violence Intervention and Prevention initiative, which includes grant funding for local government and community-based organizations.

Allegheny County saw an almost 60% reduction in homicides between 2024 and 2025 with 86% of the 65 homicides in 2025 committed with a firearm, according to its violence analytics dashboard,

While local news outlets reported a drop in non-fatal shootings in 2025, they did not include the data behind the assertion. The county also does not have public-facing analytics for those numbers. 

The county established its Office of Violence Prevention in 2016. In 2023, it committed $50 million over five years to implement evidence-based public health approaches to reducing community violence.

County community violence interventions primarily focus on highest-risk populations for victimization and perpetration of gun violence. Two programs are specifically for young adults ages 18-34 and one is a school-based program for at-risk boys in sixth grade through high school graduation that uses cognitive behavioral therapy and peer support.