Kaitlyn Hughes | news editor

Members of Pittsburgh City Council unanimously voted on a bill that would prevent the city from cooperating with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday.

The bill prohibits the city’s employees and contractors from requesting someone’s immigration status, prevents law enforcement investigations based on a person’s immigration status and bans city workers from giving ICE access to people in city custody.

Additionally, it stops the city from entering 287(g) agreements, which allow ICE to partner with state and local law enforcement.

“We as a city, planting our stake in the ground, are not going to coordinate with immigration enforcement,” said Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, during a council meeting two weeks ago. Strassburger introduced the bill alongside Councilwomen Barbara Warwick, D-Greenfield, and Deb Gross, D-Highland Park.

Ilyas Khan, a Point Breeze resident, addressed council on Tuesday in support of the legislation. He said that everyone needs to accept they are part of the fabric that makes Pittsburgh a city of immigrants.

“I think all of us here know very well that this is a city of immigrants,” Khan said. “Whether you are coming from somewhere else in the United States or from somewhere else in the continents of the Americas or if you are coming from somewhere else in the world. All of us have a story that goes to somewhere else.”

He said that voting yes on the bill would keep the city “important, valuable, beautiful and strong.”

“When we are faced with an administration that consistently tells us as Americans that in fact people who are coming into our country to become a part of that fabric have no place here anymore, do not belong here anymore, we must understand and see that rightfully as a threat against ourselves,” Khan said.

Josh Imhof and Eliyahu Gasson contributed to this report.

Kaitlyn Hughes can be reached at hughesk10@duq.edu