PITTSBURGH — Local immigration attorney Joe Patrick Murphy told Channel 11 he’s never been busier as questions continue to swirl around new federal immigration enforcement initiatives. The biggest concern, he says, is what these policies will mean for the Pittsburgh area.
“The idea that federal agents are going to come in and arrest a small-town mayor for harboring a fugitive,” Murphy said. “But that’s exactly what the Department of Justice is ordering local U.S. Attorney’s offices to do.”
This week, the Department of Justice sent a memo to U.S. Attorney’s offices across the country, instructing them to investigate any local or state officials, including police, who do not comply with the new immigration enforcement guidelines.
Murphy said local law enforcement agencies may not be equipped to handle the new requirements. He noted that Pittsburgh police officers likely aren’t trained in immigration enforcement and local law schools offer limited immigration-related courses.
“We didn’t budget for immigration enforcement,” Murphy said. “Our law schools, we have two: Pitt has a two-credit course with an immigration clinic, Duquesne has no immigration courses, this is not tested on the bar so where are they going to get the people to even know what laws to enforce?”
In a statement to Channel 11, Mayor Ed Gainey emphasized Pittsburgh’s welcoming stance toward immigrants but acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the new policies.
“While we do not yet fully understand the impact of these orders on our city, we are carefully assessing their meaning for our community,” Gainey said. “Pittsburgh remains committed to inclusivity, ensuring that all residents—regardless of background—are welcomed and supported as part of the collective strength of our community.”
However, Murphy points out the challenges city officials face in managing the new policies.
“When you talk about ability to comply, say we want you to do this and check the status, but we don’t know how. We don’t have the equipment, counterfeit green cards are endless, in order to tell the difference you need a chip reader, I don’t know if our police have these things,” Murphy said.
The Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment on the memo.
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