DonateSearch

Allegheny County Council

Committee moves forward with legislation to limit county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Written by Amy Whipple

Despite misgivings from almost half of its members, Allegheny County Council’s public safety committee voted in favor of moving forward with legislation to limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

One sticking point at the March 2 committee meeting was redundancy given the county’s existing policies. “Just because a policy says one thing does not mean that it is set in stone for forever,” argued Bethany Hallam of Ross.

The sheriff, district attorney, executive’s office and county court provided the committee with assurance that they were upholding those policies. However, the public cannot access the content of those assurances, including a statement from the county executive. Council Member Suzanne Filiaggi of Franklin Park said, “We’re making decisions on information that you all don’t know,” acknowledging frustration of lack of transparency.

Residents at recent council meetings have said that uniformed county officers have been detaining immigrants and turning them over to ICE. A Feb. article in PublicSource also revealed a 2025 internal memo that the sheriff’s office had been assisting federal agents, though the office denied the allegation.

The three council members who voted against the legislation expressed disagreement with actions by federal agents, but differed on how council should respond.

Council Member Aaron Adams of Duquesne said legislating the matter could foment distrust among county employees. Filiaggi added that unwanted attention from the federal government could result in losing federal funding that goes toward initiatives such as housing support. 

Moving forward, the legislation carries two amendments. One makes explicit that the legislation does not supersede directives from the president judge to county court employees. The second establishes that the purpose and intent behind the legislation is to create a boundary around county expenditures on federal operations. 

The legislation goes to a full council vote as early as its March 10 meeting.

Connections to this story

Elected officials:
Suzanne FiliaggiBethany Hallam
Topics:
Immigration
Governments:
Allegheny County Council

More surveys

Have your say on more of the stories we’re covering.