The Boston City Council plans to explore ways to create an immigrant emergency response fund that uses city and private money to provide legal defense, family stabilization and other support in response to the federal immigration crackdown.

Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune on Wednesday introduced an order for a hearing “on a scalable funding model for an immigrant emergency response fund” that was co-sponsored by Council President Liz Breadon and Councilor Enrique Pepén.

The proposal did not carry a price tag at this early stage.

“This filing memorializes work that is already underway at this moment to ensure that we are bringing together all of our resources … to respond to the current challenges that our immigrant communities are facing at a time when these communities are under direct threat from shifting federal policies,” Louijeune said.

“We can’t afford to be reactive, and we must be prepared, coordinated and united in our response,” she added.

Louijeune said the money dedicated to her proposed fund would be in addition to the funds that are already earmarked in the city budget for legal entities that provide services to Boston’s immigrants.

The public and philanthropic money that would be provided through the so-called emergency response fund would allow community-based organizations and immigrant families a way to “quickly access resources they need,” Louijeune said.

“For example, in the event temporary protected status is, in fact, ended, we’re going to have people who have problems paying everyday bills, paying their mortgages, paying for utilities — and this will help address that,” Louijeune said.

Breadon used sharper language when speaking on the hearing order. She spoke of how “nine workers were abducted from a car wash in Allston by ICE” agents last November, in reference to a detainment that resulted from an immigration sweep.

“As a district councilor, the most disorienting challenge was the speed with which everything occurred,” Breadon, who represents Allston and Brighton, said. “Our neighbors were kidnapped at their place of work by ICE and then immediately whisked away to detention facilities, some located as far away as Texas.

“ICE seeks to create chaos in an attempt to prevent community members from responding effectively to their actions,” Breadon added. “We know ICE isn’t done with Boston. Just recently, we saw someone kidnapped in Councilor Pepén’s district. The creation of a scalable emergency support fund for incidents will allow us as a city to be better prepared for when ICE strikes next.”

Pepén, who was bashed by the Department of Homeland Security for characterizing last week’s ICE arrest in Roslindale as an “abduction,” didn’t directly reference the incident that occurred in his district when speaking on the hearing order.

Rather, he said, “This is a topic that’s very timely, very important for what we’re going through, not only as a city, but as a nation.”

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Tuesday that the perp arrested by ICE in Roslindale was an illegal immigrant charged with trafficking cocaine and fentanyl and identity theft.

The Council order was referred to the Committee on Civil Rights, Racial Equity and Immigrant Advancement for a hearing.

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