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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 acti...
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