Pittsburgh adjusts and prepares as ICE presence ramps up across the U.S. 

As Immigration and Customs Enforcement deployment increases across the U.S., Pittsburghers are preparing to support local communities in case ICE fleets make their way to the city.

ICE presence has skyrocketed in the United States under the second Trump administration, with a record-breaking spending bill for ICE recently passing in the House. In recent weeks, Minneapolis has been brought to center stage concerning immigration enforcement and subsequent demonstrations against the agency in the wake of citizen arrests and two deaths. Some have questioned the legality of ICE amid the operations while learning how to prepare for an encounter with ICE agents.

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor said on Jan. 9 that he and the City of Pittsburgh will not cooperate with ICE. He also announced that the Allegheny County Council is currently considering a bill that would ban ICE cooperation. 

However, some places in the county and Western Pennsylvania have signed 287(g) agreements, which will allow local law enforcement to help facilitate and cooperate with immigration enforcement. While some of these agreements have sparked outrage in their respective communities, Sheila Vélez Martínez, director of programs at the Pitt Immigration Law Clinic and a professor of law, said ICE will need them less because of its large funding budget. 

“The Department of Homeland Security’s operation has grown exponentially,” Véleze Martínez said. “So ICE is going to need these 287 agreements less if they’re able to continue to hire and have the budget that they expect to have, because it’s an enormous amount of money.” 

Vélez Martínez said the increase in ICE activity alongside an increase in visa bans and the removal of humanitarian parole is a sign that the administration is looking to “remove” immigrants from the United States. 

“The way that I define this is that no one can come and no one can stay,” Vélez Martínez said, “so these enforcement mechanisms that are increased are also paired with limiting the legal options that people have to come to the United States in the first place.” 

A Sept. 8 Supreme Court decision enabled race to be used as a basis for detainment, which has been deployed in recent ICE raids. This move undermined ICE’s claimed original goal of removing people with a criminal background or without legal documentation, according to Vélez Martínez.

“They are engaging in racial profiling and have determined that everyone now is a priority for enforcement, instead of following enforcement policies that were to target those that had been undocumented,” Vélez Martínez said. 

While Minneapolis has been in the national spotlight for ICE deployment and protests, cities across the nation are also facing a steep increase in deportations and removals. Vélez Martínez said that while Pittsburgh is not a likely target for mass immigration policing, the possibility is still there.

“Immigrant communities in Pittsburgh are more diffuse and they’re smaller,” Vélez Martínez said. “Pittsburgh has had a growing immigrant community basically for the last decade. Could it happen? Yes, I mean, it could happen anywhere. Do I think this is likely to happen? I don’t think it’s likely to happen, but I’m also an optimist.”

Organizations across the City are ramping up their support for immigrant communities in preparation for the chance that ICE becomes a larger local threat. Casa San Jose, a nonprofit organization that focuses on helping immigrants from Central and South America, has reported an increase in services needed, according to executive director Monica Ruiz. She said the increase is due to an uptick in regulations around citizenship.

“Before [the Trump administration], we would focus on a lot of connections to other services,” Ruiz said. “We’ve sort of had to take those services under our wing because other agencies aren’t able to serve our clients anymore.” 

With legislation like the “Big Beautiful Bill” and H1-B and L-1 visa reform act of 2025 limiting immigration and further funding enforcement, it’s become more difficult for non-U.S. citizens to access government programs, according to Ruiz. 

“Now that federal funding is coming with strings attached, there are agencies and organizations that can no longer serve people unless they can show proof of status,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz said Casa San Jose is preparing the Pittsburgh community by hosting legal clinics and “know your rights” sessions, while also helping Latino families create plans for their children and property in case of detainment. Despite preparations, Ruiz said a fear of government actions is present in the Pittsburgh Latino community.

“Everyone’s afraid because this government is just doing whatever they feel like doing,” Ruiz said. “They’re not following any laws or rhyme or reason. It’s just, you know, everyday things change and they’re making huge spectacles, which is inciting fear, which is what they want.” 

Frontline DIGNITY, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit, is working to train Pittsburghers to respond to ICE “effectively and lawfully,” founder and executive director Jaime Martinez said. Martinez highlighted Minnesota and the communications network they have built to inform one another about ICE activity.

“What’s really worked in Minneapolis is the fact that, block by block, street by street, people are getting to know their neighbors and are being accountable to one another,” Martinez said, “and so as operations and raids take place there, neighbors are finding out about it or finding out about it in real time.” 

Martinez said the trainings in Pittsburgh have received a positive reception from the general public. According to Martinez, people are looking to build relationships with their neighbors — a trait he said is core to the Pittsburgh identity. 

“People realize that the ask is not beyond their reach — the ask is not to throw a rock, right? Or to put ourselves in a very untenable situation of harm,” Martinez said. “The ask is, root yourself in community, get to know your neighbor and learn what we can do for one another.” 

Both Casa San Jose and Frontline Dignity are continuing to support the Pittsburgh community through rising immigration enforcement. Additionally, Frontline Dignity has a hotline for residents to contact for ICE sightings at 412-536-6423.