Petition calls for Pittsburgh to declare itself a Sanctuary City.

Nearly 1,500 city residents signed a petition to declare Pittsburgh a sanctuary city. Doing so would prohibit all city agencies from cooperating with federal Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officers.

According to a Jul. 31 article in Public Source, the Pittsburgh region saw a 267% increase in ICE arrests since President Donald Trump took office.

In mid-Aug., ICE conducted high-profile raids in two locations of the local Emiliano’s Mexican restaurant chain. It detained 16 people and reportedly left behind a burned kitchen, torn ceiling tiles and broken doors.

Both Mayor Ed Gainey and his predecessor Bill Peduto declined to assist ICE in finding and detaining immigrants, but that stance has never been codified. Philadelphia is currently the only city in Pennsylvania to do so. Conversely, the Robinson Township Police Department and the Monroeville State Constable’s Office have signed agreements in cooperation with ICE.

The petition calls for city council to hold a public hearing on the matter of becoming a sanctuary city. While members indicated they would do so, a date for the hearing has not been set.

The city code requires a hearing to be held in “a reasonable amount of time” after council accepts a petition. However, no action is required by city council after the hearing, though members could choose to introduce legislation.