The Allegheny County Jail holds a population of immigration detainees for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under an Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) — a contract in which the county receives a daily per-diem payment from ICE in exchange for housing immigration detainees in the county jail facility alongside the criminal detention population. The ICE detention contract at ACJ has generated significant controversy in Pittsburgh, where the City Council passed resolutions opposing cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and advocates have pressed the county to end the agreement.
How ICE Detention at ACJ Works
Under the IGSA, ICE transfers people who have been apprehended for civil immigration violations — overstayed visas, unauthorized entry, or post-removal order detention — to the ACJ, where they are housed in a section of the facility alongside pretrial criminal detainees. ICE detainees are in civil, not criminal, custody — they have not been convicted of any crime and are detained solely to ensure their appearance at immigration proceedings. However, they are held in a physical environment designed for criminal detention, with the same restrictions and conditions.
ICE detainees at ACJ have access to immigration court proceedings through in-person or video hearings. The Pittsburgh Immigration Court handles proceedings for detainees in western Pennsylvania. Legal representation for immigration detainees is not guaranteed — civil immigration proceedings are not covered by the constitutional right to appointed counsel, so detainees must retain private attorneys or find pro bono representation.
The Political Debate Over the Contract
Pittsburgh City Council has passed resolutions calling on Allegheny County to end its ICE detention contract, and immigrant rights advocates including the Pittsburgh chapter of the New Sanctuary Movement and the Thomas Merton Center have organized sustained campaigns against the IGSA. The argument against the contract is threefold: it implicates the county in federal immigration enforcement that many constituents oppose; it subjects civil detainees to criminal jail conditions; and the per-diem revenue does not adequately offset the costs and reputational harms of the contract.
The Allegheny County executive has declined to unilaterally end the contract, citing the county's legal obligations and the financial impact of the per-diem revenue. The debate reflects a national pattern of tension between immigration advocacy and county fiscal interests that has played out in jurisdictions across the country.
Legal Resources for ICE Detainees at ACJ
ICE detainees at the ACJ have access to several pro bono and low-cost legal resources:
- JFCS Pittsburgh (Jewish Family and Community Services): Provides immigration legal services including representation for detained individuals through its immigration program
- Pittsburgh Immigration Project: A nonprofit providing free immigration legal services to low-income individuals in the Pittsburgh area
- ICE's detainee locator: Families can find an ICE detainee at locator.ice.gov — search by name, country of birth, and date of birth to get current detention facility
Family Contact for ICE Detainees at ACJ
ICE detainees at the ACJ use the same communication infrastructure as criminal detainees — ICSolutions for phone calls, JPay for electronic messaging and money deposits. However, ICE detainees have the additional right to contact their consulate. Every person detained by ICE — regardless of nationality — has the right under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to be informed of their right to contact their country's consulate and to receive consular assistance.
Allegheny County Jail: 950 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Phone: (412) 350-2000. ICE detainee locator: locator.ice.gov. Bond hearings are scheduled through the Pittsburgh Immigration Court.