Politics & Government
Prince George's County Officials Say They're Ramping Up Opposition To ICE
Aisha Braveboy said she will seek to have the executive order she signed Thursday drafted into legislation and passed by the council.
February 23, 2026
Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy ordered the county permitting office to halt the processing of any applications for detention facilities in the county, with an eye toward blocking the location of any immigration detention facilities in the county.
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Braveboy said she will seek to have the executive order she signed Thursday drafted into legislation and passed by the council.
It follows the purchase of a Washington County warehouse by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for potential conversion to an immigrant detention facility, and the recent rejection by the Howard County Council of a planned, privately run immigrant detention facility in Elkridge. Washington County officials have said there is nothing they can do to stop ICE’s purchase of the Williamsport warehouse.
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Braveboy’s order comes as the county prepares to begin posting large bilingual signs in English and Spanish informing immigrants that county-run government buildings, garages and other facilities are locations where ICE is not allowed to operate. Those signs are expected to start going up in about two weeks.
“We are taking decisive action to protect our diversity and those residents who chose to call America and Prince George’s County home,” Braveboy said. “We are establishing that county buildings, garages and parking lots are safe spaces in Prince George’s County — safe from ICE operations and other federal interventions that disrupt the quality of life for people in Prince George’s County.”
Chorus of voices grows against possible ICE detention centers in Maryland
Braveboy said the decision to print the signs in both English and Spanish was an easy one.
“So that everyone understands that this is a safe space in Prince George’s County,” she said.
Her executive order prohibits the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement from issuing occupancy permits to ICE.
Standing on the stage with Braveboy and dozens of Prince George’s County officials last week in a unified show of support was Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th).
“I think it’s critical for us to understand that we’ve got to fight back and we’ve got to win,” Ivey said, emphasizing that Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland have been hard hit since the Trump administration returned to office. “The target has already been on our back, since Jan. 20 of last year.”
Ivey said ICE’s actions in Minnesota are a main reason why congressional Democrats are holding firm when it comes to the partial government shutdown, now entering its second week, with the Department of Homeland Security, which is at the center of the dispute.
“It has been happening for a long time. We’ve had ICE here now for months, not just in Prince George’s County but across the state,” Ivey said.
“That’s what we saw in Minnesota. They rolled in, they sent in 3,000 ICE officers,” Ivey said. “It’s clear that we’re going to have to fight, not just on ICE, but on all levels.”
– As part of Maryland Matters’ content-sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Dan Ronan. Click here for the WTOP News website.
