Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, alongside members of the Montgomery County Council, has officially signed four new bills focused on immigration enforcement.
Recently, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich gathered with Montgomery County Council members to enact four significant bills aimed at addressing immigration enforcement practices.
Prior to the signing ceremony at the Executive Office Building in Rockville, Elrich emphasized the importance of assuring the county’s immigrant community that they are safe, stating, “We’re here to help you and not put obstacles in your way.”
The newly signed legislation aims to limit the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in various ways.
Elrich elaborated on the Montgomery County Values Act, which instructs the county executive to develop and distribute guidelines for all county agencies. This act prohibits the use of county-owned parking lots and properties as staging areas or processing hubs for civil immigration enforcement, while also establishing a public mechanism for reporting any violations.
Council member Kristin Mink, who spearheaded the bill, addressed concerns related to ICE’s enforcement actions. “That has been happening since before I wrote the bill, and it was the reason I wrote the bill,” Mink remarked. “We know that ICE stages in parking lots, both county and nonpublic parking lots.”
During the bill signing, County Council President Natali Fani-González highlighted the Trust Act, which prevents county employees and agencies from inquiring about an individual’s immigration status. “Over 30% of the people who live in this county are immigrants, just like me,” she noted.
Three of the legislation pieces were expedited to take effect immediately upon the signing.
Bill 5-26, known as the Unmask ICE Act, prohibits law enforcement agencies, with certain exceptions, from wearing masks while on duty.
“This demonstrates our commitment to our residents, and we will leverage every resource available to us. If we need to take legal action, we will, because our residents are worth fighting for,” announced Council member Will Jawando, who has immigrant roots.
Jawando’s remarks acknowledged the possibility of legal challenges concerning a local government’s authority to influence the operations of a federal agency.
Bill 13-26, termed the ICE Out Act, forbids the county from issuing building or occupancy permits for privately-owned detention facilities. Council member Evan Glass, who sponsored the bill, pointed to a proposed plan to convert a warehouse into an immigration detention facility in Washington County, asserting, “We proactively stood up and said, ‘We will not let that happen here,’” and expressed the county’s intent to ensure that immigrants feel “welcome, safe, and seen.”
Both Jawando and Glass are currently campaign candidates for the position of Montgomery County executive.
Another bill, Bill 14-26, advocated by Council member Kate Stewart, aims to ease the process of recovering vehicles for families of individuals taken into custody while driving. Stewart shared that constituents informed her office about instances where ICE detainments left vehicles abandoned and subsequently towed.
“As family members are scrambling to locate their loved ones, they also need to track down their vehicles,” Stewart explained. “If their names weren’t on the title, it made it impossible for them to retrieve the car from impound.”
This legislation addresses that issue by expanding the documentation required for a family member or household member to release a vehicle.
During the bill signing event, lawmakers were questioned about whether these new laws would complicate law enforcement operations. Fani-González assured attendees that the council collaborated with local law enforcement. Montgomery County Police Chief Marc Yamada was present at the introduction of the Trust Act, and Fani-González affirmed that law enforcement supports the legislation. “They understand that for the police to perform their duties effectively, the community must feel safe and trust the officers,” she stated. “I’m proud that they have been with us 100%,” she added.
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