City Council Advances Community Transparency Initiative to Support Residents

The Mayor and Phoenix City Council voted Wednesday to approve a comprehensive framework in response to growing community concerns about how federal enforcement actions affect Phoenix families, neighborhoods, and City services. 

The Community Transparency Initiative (CTI) provides a structured, transparent approach to documenting federal immigration enforcement activities within Phoenix and assessing their impacts on residents and City operations while providing additional resources to the community. 

The move comes after cities across the United States experienced challenges with federal enforcement activity in their communities, causing confusion, operational disruptions, and community concern. The actions by the Mayor and Council allow Phoenix to proactively establish clear standards to avoid those issues and maintain public trust.

“The behavior we saw in Minneapolis, Portland, and Chicago – and here in Phoenix – is un-American. It doesn’t make us safer. The actions the City took today are important steps to ensure we are prepared if we see escalated federal immigration enforcement activity,” Mayor Kate Gallego said. “We've heard from countless residents who are rightly concerned, even including interpreters who supported our troops in Afghanistan, and I am proud of the measures we took today to protect our diverse community."

Arizona operates under different legal requirements than many other states, so the City’s approach must fit into the restrictions of both federal and state law. Arizona Revised Statutes 11-1051(A) was originally created under SB1070. It states: “No official or agency of this state or a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state may limit or restrict the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law.” This means Phoenix is prohibited from taking some of the actions other cities outside Arizona have pursued. Even with these constraints, the Community Transparency Initiative is designed to use every tool available under the law to increase transparency, protect civil rights, and respond to the concerns raised by residents.

What the Council Approved

The Council vote moves key components forward in six core areas of work:

1. Documenting community concerns and potential violations 
In the next 60 days, the City will implement a new multilingual complaint platform called Sivil. The Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) will use Sivil to document reports from residents who believe federal agents may have acted outside the law or violated civil rights.

The Phoenix Police Department’s Special Investigations Detail will then review complaints which may be forwarded to the appropriate agency for criminal charges, forwarded to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and/or shared with the relevant federal agency with a request for further investigation. All reports will be preserved for potential future civil action and for public records requests.

2. Tracking impacts on City services 
Police, Fire, the Community Assistance Program (CAP), and the Office of Accountability and Transparency (OAT) will track staff time, call responses, and resources used when federal enforcement actions affect city operations. City staff will also monitor impacts on small businesses and the local economy.

3. Launching new partnerships and community resources 
The City will create a new Know Your Rights webpage, offering multilingual resources for residents, businesses, schools, and employers. The City is also coordinating closely with community organizations, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and other Arizona cities to ensure consistent, legally sound processes.

4. Expanding multilingual communication 
All CTI-related materials will be available in multiple languages. The City’s website can translate content into more than 120 languages, and City Council meetings already offer real-time interpretation in over 60 languages.

5. Training for City employees 
City staff who may encounter federal officers in City buildings or during their work will receive new training, including:

• Guidelines on how to verify warrants
• Step-by-step response scripts
• A training video
• A quick reference resource card

These tools ensure consistent, lawful, and professional interactions across all departments.

6. Protecting City parks, libraries, and other facilities 
The Council also reviewed a proposed City Administrative Regulation (A.R.) that would restrict unauthorized use of City-owned or City-controlled property such as parks, community centers, and other public spaces as staging or operational areas for civil law enforcement actions. 

Under the A.R., federal or other outside agencies would need authorization from the City Manager to use City facilities for such purposes. City airports, the Municipal Court and City right of way such as public streets and sidewalks would be exempt as well as certain City-owned facilities operated by third parties.  The City A.R. would sunset in 2029 unless extended.

Additional Information

The CTI does not interfere with federal agencies’ ability to conduct lawful investigations or respond to emergencies. It does not limit Phoenix’s ongoing partnerships with federal law enforcement on serious crimes such as drug trafficking or human trafficking. Instead, CTI ensures that when federal activity affects City property or City services, it happens in a coordinated, transparent, and lawful manner.

Since February, the City has held numerous community meetings and listening sessions, and the Human Relations Commission has reviewed and provided input. Residents overwhelmingly expressed the importance of these steps and encouraged continued collaboration as CTI evolves.

The City will continue implementing the CTI framework, expanding resources, and updating the public with new information such as data dashboards, translated materials, and additional guidance as the initiative moves forward.