Conservative Group Urges MoCo To Rescind 'Sanctuary Policies'

BETHESDA, MD — A local conservative women's group is calling on Montgomery County leaders to "rescind all sanctuary-related policies" after two Salvadoran nationals were charged with raping an 11-year-old girl in Germantown.

In a letter sent to the County Council on Monday, Sharon Bauer — the president of Montgomery County Federation of Republican Women — said there is no excuse for policies that provide sanctuary or other means of protection to undocumented immigrants who break the law in the region.

In the past, county officials have said police will work with federal agencies when immigrants are charged with major crimes. However, the group believes more lenient policies come at the expense of residents' safety.

"As mothers, grandmothers, professional women and stay-at-home moms who live in Montgomery County, we are outraged by the recent alleged rape of an 11-year-old girl by illegal immigrants," Bauer wrote. "The sanctuary policies of the County Executive and the County Council continue to allow such crimes to happen to the most vulnerable in our county. There is simply no excuse for that."

In 2018, an 11-year-old girl was raped by two Montgomery County men on separate occasions, according to police. Mauricio Anto Barrera-Navidad, 29, of Damascus, and Carlos Ernesto Palacios-Amaya, 28, of Gaithersburg, have since been charged with second-degree rape.

The reported incidents — court documents note — occurred in Germantown in July 2018, and between September 2018 and October 2018. Palacios-Amaya is accused of raping the child on multiple occasions — and, at one point, taking out his cellphone to record the assault.

Last week, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich put out a statement confirming the arrests and their citizenship status. After determining the pair were in the country illegally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement asked that Montgomery County officials notify ICE when the pair is released from custody.

Elrich said he told federal agents that the county will comply with ICE's request.

"This alleged crime is horrible, and I am confident that justice will be served in this case," Elrich said.

His announcement comes on the heels of an executive order he signed last month called "The Promoting Community Trust Executive Order."

The executive order aims to eliminate any collaboration between county law enforcement officers and federal immigration authorities. It prohibits county police officers from asking residents about their immigration status and working with ICE — the agency behind multiple nationwide sweeps to deport undocumented immigrants.

In his statement about the arrests, Elrich said that the executive order does not change the county's "policy on cooperating with ICE requests for notification of the release of individuals charged with serious crimes."

But that — the Republican women's group argues — isn't enough.

"We implore our County Executive and each County Council member to rescind all sanctuary-related policies and truly make Montgomery County a safer place to live and work," Bauer said.

SEE ALSO:

• ICE Detainer In Child Rape Case Will Be Followed By County
• Collaboration Between MoCo Police, ICE Ends By Executive Order