Allegheny County Council is tackling the issue of how to deal with I.C.E. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a topic that\u2019s been taken up by a number of area governments in recent weeks. <\/p>\n
Tuesday evening, hundreds of people packed council chambers to advocate for legislation that would do a number of things, including:<\/p>\n
Prohibiting county employees from inquiring into an individual\u2019s citizenship or immigration status unless required by court order. Prohibiting county employees from disclosing citizenship or immigration status of others unless required by court order. Prohibiting county employees from entering into a contract with a federal agency to provide access to any database with the purpose of assisting in immigration enforcement. <\/p>\n
It follows several high-profile I.C.E. arrests in Allegheny County. <\/p>\n
In December, federal agents took a man from Nicaragua into custody in Pittsburgh\u2019s Mount Washington neighborhood. <\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Confrontation between man, federal agents leads to large police presence in Pittsburgh neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n Over the weekend, I.C.E. released Jose Flores of Oakmont<\/a> after he spent more than a week in custody. <\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Oakmont Bakery owner questioning why ICE took his employee into custody<\/a><\/p>\n Seven councilmembers co-sponsored the legislation, including Council-at-large Bethany Hallam.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should not be doing I.C.E.\u2019s job for them. We should not be using county taxpayer dollars,\u201d she said. \u201cIt actually gives leverage for supervisors to be able to issue sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n Todd McCollum, Pittsburgh\u2019s GOP Chair, spoke to Channel 11 on behalf of the county\u2019s Republican Party. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure why the county insists on getting involved in this matter. It\u2019s a federal issue. It\u2019s a public safety matter,\u201d he said. \u201cThe county is trying to enact anti-whistleblower legislation and that shouldn\u2019t be upheld by any court.\u201d<\/p>\n Hallam told me she expects a vote to happen in two weeks. <\/p>\n County Executive Sara Innamorato has pledged to sign it into law.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n