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To request that the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer prepare administrative regulations for City departments, agencies, and employees regarding the disclosure of City information concerning the citizenship or immigration status of persons and use of City-owned resources for purposes of civil federal immigration enforcement by no later than January 1, 2027.
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WHEREAS, the Council recognizes that trust between residents and local government is essential to protecting public health, safety, welfare, and civic participation; and
WHEREAS, residents of the city of Richmond should be able to access City services, programs, housing assistance, public health resources, schools, emergency services, and other governmental functions without fear that their personal information will be unnecessarily disclosed or used for federal civil immigration enforcement purposes; and
WHEREAS, the Council desires to ensure that all citizens and residents, regardless of actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status, are treated with fairness when interacting with the City government; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that City departments, agencies, and employees should have clear guidance on how to handle sensitive information obtained from people interacting with the City and the limits of the City’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement authorities; and
WHEREAS, the Council believes that establishing uniform standards for confidentiality, information access, employee conduct, and transparency would strengthen accountability and public trust in all departments and agencies of the City; and
WHEREAS, upon information and belief of the Council, policies adopted in other jurisdictions within the Commonwealth of Virginia and across the United States of America have included provisions limiting the collection and disclosure of citizenship or immigration status information, and restricting use of local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement activities, absent court orders or other properly issued legal process;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND:
That the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer, to the extent permitted by section 5.05(e) of the Charter of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, and in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 2, Article VI, Division 6 of the Code of the City of Richmond (2020), as amended, are hereby requested to develop and present to the Council, by no later than January 1, 2027, administrative regulations applicable to City departments, agencies, and employees of the City, limiting disclosure of information regarding citizenship or immigration status information held by the City, unless required by law, court order, subpoena, judicial warrant, or authorized by the individual concerned.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That the Council further requests that the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer consult with relevant department directors, community stakeholders, immigrant advocacy organizations, civil rights organizations, public safety officials, and service providers in developing and executing such administrative regulations.
DATE: June 1, 2026
TO: The Honorable Members of City Council
THROUGH: Nicole Jones, 9th District Council Member
THROUGH: RJ Warren, Council Chief of Staff
THROUGH: Will Perkins, Senior Legislative Services Manager
FROM: Steven Taylor, Council Policy Analyst
RE: To request that the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer prepare administrative regulations for City departments, agencies, and employees regarding the disclosure of City information concerning the citizenship or immigration status of persons and use of City-owned resources for purposes of civil federal immigration enforcement by no later than January 1, 2027.
CNL-2026-0005
PURPOSE:
Requests that the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer prepare guidelines that instruct employees, departments, agencies and offices of the City government on proper disclosure and non-disclosure of information held by the City regarding citizenship and immigration status in City-owned and controlled records when requested by federal authorities for purposes of civil federal immigration enforcement. The resolution requests that the Mayor and Chief Administrative Officer prepare the guidelines by January 1, 2027.
BACKGROUND:
Generally, “trust and confidentiality” policies are established to govern information sharing procedures of sensitive information held by entities of different types. Notably, in Virginia, local governments have begun using these policies to govern disclosure of information related to citizenship and immigration status that may be requested by the federal government. The purpose of this resolution is to request that the City’s Administration develop a “trust policy” for Richmond’s government that would offer guidelines for city employees on proper disclosure and non-disclosure of information regarding immigration and citizenship status of persons doing business with the City government and held in City-owned records.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None. No need for additional budgeting is expected to have the guidelines developed for employees and reporting on those guidelines to City Council.
DESIRED EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon adoption.
REQUESTED INTRODUCTION DATE: July 27, 2026
CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING DATE: September 28, 2026
REQUESTED AGENDA: Consent
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL COMMITTEE: Government Operations.
AFFECTED AGENCIES: Mayor, Chief Administrative Officer, Council, Human Resources, and City Attorney’s Office.
RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING ORD. OR RES.: None
ATTACHMENTS: None.
STAFF: Steven Taylor, Council Policy Analyst, (804) 646-2780