Collaboration Between MoCo Police, ICE Ends By Executive Order

ROCKVILLE, MD — In response to a federal crackdown on illegal immigration, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich has signed an executive order that aims to eliminate any collaboration between county law enforcement officers and federal immigration authorities.

The executive order — signed by Elrich on Monday — goes into effect immediately. It prohibits county police officers from asking residents about their immigration status and working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — the agency behind multiple nationwide sweeps to deport undocumented immigrants.

"The Promoting Community Trust Executive Order aims to reaffirm current County policy and improve community security by ensuring that immigrant and otherwise vulnerable communities can engage with County departments, including public safety departments, with assurance that such engagement will not be used to assist in civil immigration enforcement or a federal discriminatory practice," Elrich said at Monday's press conference.

Through this executive order, county employees are prohibited from violating immigrants' constitutional rights or denying county services or benefits to residents because of their immigration status.

For instance, county personnel and departments cannot investigate or assist in the investigation of someone's citizenship or immigration status unless required by a court order. They also cannot make threats based on someone's citizenship or immigration status, use county resources to help federal agents with civil immigration enforcement operations, or detain someone based on any directive by DHS on the belief that he or she is in the United States illegally or has committed a civil immigration violation.

"Enforcing immigration laws is the sole responsibility of the federal government of the United States," Elrich said. "It is not in the interest of Montgomery County to utilize its limited resources to facilitate the enforcement of civil immigration law."

In Montgomery County, there is already a policy in place that says county officials do not collaborate with federal immigration agents.

"We have no direct contact with ICE about any immigration issues," said Montgomery County acting Police Chief Marcus Jones, according to The Associated Press. "We're not doing any operations with ICE in Montgomery County."

Even with this policy, the raids conducted by ICE agents have sparked fear and chaos in places like Montgomery County.

The police department and elected officials have put out statements in the past, reassuring residents that they will not be assisting ICE with these raids.

Speaking at Monday's event, several council members said it was sad that they had to reaffirm the county's commitment to vulnerable immigrant communities.

"It is unfortunate that we have to be here in the first place," council member Gabe Albornoz said. "Local jurisdictions across this country have had to step forward to ensure that we provide safety and security for our neighbors, our friends, and community residents across the country because of the utter and complete failure of our federal system to be able to enact common sense and moral immigration reform."

Holding back tears, Albornoz spoke about an immigrant family he'd met. The boy is the same age as Albornoz's son. Many families, like the one Albornoz met, are under scrutiny and stress because of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies, the councilmember said.

"They don't want to spend their life savings. They don't want to risk their lives to come here to experience the challenges that they're feeling here," Albornoz said. "They are coming out of a definitive necessity. An economic and criminal justice crisis that's going on in the countries of their origin."

"We have to empathize and understand that the reasons they are leaving are many. The solutions are complex. But while they are here," Albornoz added, "we need to do everything we can to support them."

County Council President Nancy Navarro, who is an immigrant, said those who are coming to the United States shouldn't be ostracized and aren't here to cause harm.

"I want to make sure that people understand that it is a fallacy when folks try to somehow scapegoat immigrants as if we are here to somehow to destroy the fabric of this country — a country that was really formed on the basis of welcoming people who were facing persecution and welcoming those who wanted that American Dream," Navarro said.