Howard County Police 'Will Not Assist ICE': County Executive

HOWARD COUNTY, MD – With potential immigration enforcement activity on the horizon in the region, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball reaffirmed his commitment to protecting residents of the county. In response to concerns about mass deportations, he said the police department will not provide assistance in Howard County.

"I want to reiterate our continued position: Howard County Police do not and will not assist ICE in the enforcement of civil violations of federal immigration laws," Ball said. "Officers in Howard County do not ask residents about their immigration status, nor do they contact ICE if they learn of a civil violation of federal immigration laws."

Immigration raids are expected to start Sunday in major cities across the country, including Baltimore, under an operation backed by President Donald Trump.

"As of now, Howard County Government has not received any reports of ICE raids in Howard County, but we encourage all undocumented people to be aware of their rights," Ball said on Friday, July 12.

Raids in at least 10 major cities will target immigrants who have been ordered to be deported, according to The New York Times. Agents will also sweep up other undocumented immigrants who are present for the arrests even if they are not among the targets, according to the Times.

Trump first announced the raids with a June 17 Twitter post, saying authorities would start removing "millions of illegal aliens." But he said days later that the operation had been delayed to give Congress a chance to address problems at the southern U.S. border.

On Friday, he confirmed to reporters at the White House that ICE would be conducting a sweep this weekend to pick up people who had outstanding deportation orders. "It's a major operation," Trump said, according to ABC News, in which undocumented immigrants would be returned to their countries or jailed ICE agents would be "focused on criminals...before we do anything else," he said.

Ball directed people to the National Immigration Law Center as well as CASA guidelines outlining people's rights, also offered in Spanish.

More than 20 percent of Howard County residents were born outside of the United States, he said, and 82 languages are spoken in the Howard County Public School System.

"We are the best county in the nation, not in spite of these facts, but because of them," Ball said. "Our government remains dedicated to our shared values and to promoting public safety for all. Standing together, we can hold strong against forces that would tear us apart, united by our common humanity."

His statement was accompanied by another from the director of corrections for the county, who said that that agency as well will not provide assistance in civil cases.

"Howard County does not and will not assist ICE in detaining people who are being charged with civil violation of federal immigration laws," Howard County Department of Corrections Director Jack Kavanagh said in a statement. "Our focus will continue to be furthering the administration of justice and ensuring public safety in Howard County."

The Howard County Department of Corrections only accepts ICE detainees who are criminally involved, including these:

• Those convicted of crimes
• Those charged with jailable offenses
• Those who are members of criminal gangs
• Those who are deported criminal felons who have illegally reentered the United States