Pittsburgh establishes Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

Pittsburgh will now have an office dedicated to the city’s immigrant and refugee populations.

The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs will help connect immigrants and refugees with resources and benefits offered throughout city, county, state and federal government and private organizations. It also will advise other city offices on engaging the immigrant and refugee population.

City Council approved legislation establishing the office Monday.

The city already offers such services through the Welcoming Pittsburgh Initiative, which was established in 2014. The initiative is currently housed in the Office of Equity.

City Council first considered the measure in early November, but put the effort on pause for nearly a month as some council members questioned whether it was appropriate to establish a new office during Mayor Bill Peduto’s lame duck period.

Council members Ricky Burgess and Deb Gross voiced concerns about making a new office during a mayoral transition period. Burgess said the initiative could continue its work without becoming a separate entity, at least until the new mayor was in office to oversee such changes.

Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle said he had questions about the potential office’s budgetary impacts.

Council has not grappled with questions about the new office’s budget during their discussions on the measure, though Burgess has said he feels it is within City Council’s powers to establish a new office even during a mayoral transition time.

City Council approved the creation of the new office unanimously Monday, with no discussion.

Census figures show that about 9% of the city’s roughly 303,000 residents are foreign-born, up from about 7% a decade earlier.