Editorial: Pittsburgh should declare sanctuary status

As threats to undocumented immigrants being deported under Trump’s administration loom, Pittsburgh, it seems, is fighting back.

Ever since President-elect Donald Trump vowed to deport up to 3 million undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes as well as threatened to withhold federal funding from sanctuary cities, cities across the country have promised to protect their immigrants from federal authorities.

Pittsburgh has marketed itself a sanctuary city since 2014 but has never formally passed a law to ensure protections for undocumented immigrants. Now, though, as PublicSource reported on Tuesday, City Council members are working to establish a policy, but no public announcement has been made.

Although sanctuary cities vary in definition, the term refers to any city that places limits on when local enforcement agencies cooperate with federal requests to hold undocumented immigrants for detention and turn them over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. There are over 500 sanctuary cities and counties in the United States including Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles.

A local sanctuary city law is especially necessary for Pittsburgh, given the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police’s current relationship with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. While officers here don’t actively search for undocumented immigrants to detain, they honor requests from ICE to detain those involved in criminal investigations, according to Mayor Bill Peduto’s spokesperson.

In other words, the city complies with federal and immigration authorities instead of protecting undocumented immigrants from them.

When thousands of undocumented immigrants are now fearing deportations and separation from their families, we must protect our most vulnerable members of the community at this time. Pittsburgh’s formal sanctuary status is long overdue, and we need a law that ensures their safety and well-being by following the footsteps of other cities in combating mass deportation proposals.

As a city that welcomes refugees and Peduto’s plan to attract more immigrants, we have a responsibility to stand up for those who face deportation and threats to our community. Recently, Pitt students advocated for the University to be a sanctuary campus by asking administrators to adopt policies protecting freedom and inclusion.

It’s not enough to welcome them into our cities unless a written policy is enacted and enforced. We should not tolerate the hateful rhetoric echoed by our President-elect and support immigrant rights.

We cannot succumb to the dangerous policies Trump presents, and it’s time to make Pittsburgh a sanctuary city.