📣 Pittsburgh lawmakers call out ICE

Snow Removal Lags in Pittsburgh

Some locals are even taking it upon themselves to clear their own streets. City Controller Rachael Heisler explains why the city is struggling with its snow response and how we can prevent this from happening again. [WTAE / 🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

• Freezing temperatures are sticking around through at least the end of the week. Take steps to protect your pipes. [KDKA / PGH20]
• Pittsburgh-area school districts are running out of snow days. Some are moving to remote learning this week. [KDKA]
• The city canceled trash and recycling pickups this week. Normal service will resume Monday, Feb. 2.

City Council Tells Senators To Reject ICE Funding

Council members are urging PA’s senators to reject a federal bill that would give $10 billion to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Councilor Barb Warwick, who sponsored the will of council, said ICE is making communities "demonstrably less safe” and accused agents of “lawless, cruel, and unconstitutional activities.”

• Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said ICE should leave Minneapolis but also rejected calls to defund the agency and said he would not vote to shut down the government.
• Republican Sen. Dave McCormick also opposes defunding ICE, but is calling for a “full investigation” into the shooting death of Alex Pretti. [TribLive]
• What are local officials saying about ICE? Scroll for more on that, plus ways to get engaged ⬇️

Naloxone Vending Machine Installed Downtown

The free outdoor dispenser on Smithfield Street provides 24/7 access to lifesaving medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. The Allegheny County Health Department operates 15 other naloxone stations in the area at places like libraries, churches, and treatment centers. [KDKA]

New Eatery Coming To Union Trust Building

The team behind Ritual House is bringing a new breakfast and lunch spot to Grant Street. The Common Good will serve salad and grain bowls, soups, sandwiches, smoothies, and baked goods. Diners can round up their bill to go toward a free meal for someone in need. [NEXTpittsburgh]

City

Mayor Corey O’Connor says Pittsburgh won’t work with ICE, which means our public safety officials, including police, won’t assist them. But local police may still be dispatched to monitor a situation, and it’s not clear what happens if an officer assists ICE while off duty. In other cities where ICE is more active, the voice of the mayor seems to hold little weight.

Pittsburgh City Council is urging PA senators to reject the latest federal budget bill, which includes billions more for ICE. Under President Donald Trump, the agency now has more funding than any other U.S. law enforcement group. U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-Braddock) and Dave McCormick (R-Squirrel Hill) both oppose defunding ICE.

County

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato called Trump’s influence on immigration enforcement and federal funding “chaotic.” She told County Council last summer the raids “have nothing to do with protecting us from criminals and actually threaten the region’s long-term growth and stability.”

Elsewhere in our region, smaller police departments are making their own choices about whether to work with ICE, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of local officials or voters. Public Source published a map of known agreements in Western Pennsylvania.

State

Neither Pittsburgh nor Pennsylvania have official sanctuary policies limiting local cooperation with ICE, which could include sharing access to databases, personal information, or legal proceedings where targets may be present. Philadelphia and other jurisdictions do. Pittsburgh was listed on a federal sanctuary list last year but was later removed. Trump pledged this month to withhold federal funding from “sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities.”

At a book tour event in Philadelphia, Gov. Josh Shapiro said his administration is prepared to handle a Minneapolis-style ICE occupation in Pennsylvania. He called agents’ behavior there “lawless” and “unacceptable” — and categorized the recent shooting death of intensive care nurse Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol as an “atrocity.”

A new proposal in the PA Senate would prohibit civil immigration arrests within 1,000 feet of state-owned or leased facilities absent a judicial order or warrant.

City Paper closed. The Post-Gazette is next. Now what?

What happens to a community when newspapers shut down?

Hear media experts talk about the state of local journalism and how we can build a more sustainable future at The Pittsburgh Tomorrow Intersection: TOMORROW, Jan. 29 at the Heinz History Center.

🎙️ Don’t miss City Cast Pittsburgh podcast host Megan Harris on the panel.