The Phoenix City Council on June 13 voted 8–1 to deny a citizen petition titled the “Resolution for Thriving Communities,” after an extended public-comment period that included dozens of speakers who described fears of immigration enforcement and requested new local protections.

Petitioner Estela Varela and many community members urged the council to limit police interactions that can lead to immigration enforcement and to adopt policies to reduce racial profiling and deportations. Multiple speakers recounted recent family separations and workplace raids and asked the council to pass the petition’s protections.

Vice Mayor O’Brien moved to deny the petition. Council members debated legal constraints, data gaps and existing protections. Police Chief O’Rourke (on the record as chief Orrinder) told the council the Phoenix Police Department “does not cooperate with ICE” and said officers do not participate in deportation roundups; he added that when an arrestee is booked into the county jail, county procedures can lead to ICE notification. City staff said they were reviewing MCSO (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office) booking data and reported that, in a recent dataset, about 4% of bookings had an ICE detainer placed at the county level; they said additional detail would require access to county or federal records.

Councilwoman Hodge Washington, Councilwoman Pastor and others pressed for new data transparency and operational changes. Councilwoman Hernandez asked staff to bring monthly, itemized reporting beginning in September on citywide stops, outcomes (cite-and-release, transferred to MCSO, ICE holds, no‑charge release), and MCSO detainee counts and ICE holds; staff said some elements will be available once the new records-management system goes live and that the city is implementing improvements to data collection. City staff said the new records-management system rollout is in final stages and the contracted package (Motorola) totals about $11 million; staff said go‑live is expected later this year. The council’s motion to deny the petition passed 8–1 (Mayor Gallego voted no on the denial, recording her support for the petition).