Dozens of Alexandria residents used the council’s public comment period on Nov. 5 to press elected officials to draft an "ethical investment" resolution that would pull city pension and other public funds from companies they say profit from human-rights abuses abroad and surveillance technologies used against immigrants at home.

Speakers linked investments in defense and technology firms to violence in Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere and asked the council to act quickly. "The second best time is now," said one speaker, urging council to move on a resolution modeled on Alexandria's 1985 divestment from apartheid South Africa. Several callers also demanded that Sheriff Sean Casey appear at a public meeting to answer why the sheriff’s office continues voluntary transfers of detainees to ICE.

Why it matters: Public‑pension investments and city contracting policies can create reputational and financial links between municipal governments and large corporations. Petitioners told the council that Alexandria’s investments — in vehicles such as the supplemental retirement plan and other city funds — include companies they say are complicit in grave human‑rights harms, and they urged the city to use its leverage.

What petitioners asked: Speakers asked council to (a) finalize draft resolution language promptly (organizers requested a draft to the city attorney by Nov. 21), (b) require public reporting on holdings that meet ethical criteria, and (c) call Sheriff Casey to testify publicly about transfers to ICE and the legal basis for those transfers.

Council response and next steps: Council members acknowledged the urgency voiced by residents and said staff would take the request under advisement; multiple councilors expressed sympathy for immigrant communities and an interest in exploring how municipal investment policy could reflect community values. The council did not take a formal vote on the topic during the Nov. 5 meeting. Several council members suggested additional briefings and legal review would be needed before any formal action.

Claims and evidence: Commenters cited international reports and statements by human‑rights organizations; others alleged that certain technologies used abroad for surveillance are also used domestically to target immigrant communities. Councilors noted that any change to investment policy would require legal and fiduciary review.

What comes next: Petitioners asked the council to prioritize completing a draft resolution and routing it to the city attorney in the coming weeks and to schedule a public opportunity for the sheriff to respond.