Port Authority Will Not Cooperate With ICE Officials

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Port Authority says its police officers will not cooperate with ICE officials if immigration raids happen in Pittsburgh.

At a Port Authority board meeting on Friday, CEO Katharine Kelleman said in Spanish that everyone is welcome -- "Bienvenidos todos a Port Authority."

A spokesperson for Port Authority, Adam Brandolph, said Kelleman wanted to let customers know that Port Authority Police don't work for ICE.

He continued to say that Port Authority doesn't want to let its customers live in fear that they'll be deported just because they're on a PAT vehicle.

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This statement comes amidst reports from ICE that they'll be conducting sweeps on illegal immigrants.

While the raids were not scheduled in Pittsburgh, local immigrant outreach agencies say they're still afraid.

Just this past December, federal immigration officers arrested an individual in an Oakland restaurant in what officials described as a "targeted enforcement operation."

The Port Authority said its comments at the board meeting Friday were to remind customers that Port Authority intends to treat its neighbors with respect and dignity.