Trump’s ‘Sanctuary City’ Attack: Montgomery County Pushes Back

(Updated at 4 p.m. Thursday) ROCKVILLE, MD — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday withholding federal grant money from "sanctuary cities," areas which have designated themselves as safe zones for undocumented immigrants. He signed the executive order during a ceremony at the Department of Homeland Security.

Sanctuary cities, and counties, are municipalities with established policies that don't require local agencies to go after residents based on their status as U.S. citizens. Such jurisdictions have adopted policies that local law enforcement agencies will not investigate, arrest or prosecute undocumented immigrants for non-immigration crimes.

While many Maryland residents call Montgomery County a "sanctuary" jurisdiction, it is not one, says county Director of Public Information Patrick Lacefield. County arrest and detention information goes to the state and the information is accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

"Montgomery County is not a sanctuary. We do cooperate with ICE, we honor ICE criminal detailers and some civil detainers if they’re coming from a judge. We tell ICE when people they are interested in are being released from facilities," Lacefield told Patch.

Similarly, while Gaithersburg has been described by some as a sanctuary city, it is not.

"While the City of Gaithersburg has not formally adopted Sanctuary City status, we are extremely proud of our diverse community and take pride in maintaining an environment of inclusiveness," Mayor Jud Ashman told Patch.

Montgomery County Council member Nancy Navarro, the first Latina to serve on the council, expressed outrage about the executive orders Trump signed. “This type of punitive action has set the tone for the Trump presidency, and it is an affront to our way of life in Montgomery County. His rhetoric has become reality, and we have to stand up for all of our residents.”

Takoma Park has been a sanctuary city for decades, and will celebrate the designation next month. A public forum, Takoma Park: Sanctuary City — Then & Now, is planned for Feb. 4 to explore the city’s 30-year-old sanctuary ordinance and its amendments, and will underscore the commitment to protect immigrant residents, organizers say.

The Takoma Park teach-in will begin at 3 p.m. at the Takoma Park Community Center – Sam Abbott Citizens’ Center, 7500 Maple Ave. in Takoma Park. Speakers will include city and county council members, the local police chief, and state officials.

Trump's executive order will "strip federal grant money from states and cities that harbor illegal immigrants," White House Spokesman Sean Spicer said. "We'll prioritize the prosecution and deportation of illegal immigrants who have otherwise violated our laws."

The action against sanctuary municipalities is expected to be one part of a series of executive orders on immigration issues that will be unveiled over a couple of days - the most notable of which will be an order formally moving forward with Trump's campaign promise to build a wall on the Mexican border.

While it hasn't adopted sanctuary status, Montgomery County leaders have for several years worked to welcome immigrants. And people on both sides of the immigration debate draw assumptions from the county's outreach.

"We value new Americans and value diversity in the county. It’s a strength," Lacefield said. "The fact that people from all over the world want to settle here, we’re a talent magnet.”

National League of Cities President Matt Zone from Cleveland, said on Thursday that a failed attempt last year by Congress to define and penalize sanctuary cities could have cost cities up to $137 million or more in COPS hiring grants.

“There appears to be a false assumption that ‘sanctuary cities’ prevent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from enforcing immigration laws. This could not be further from the truth," Zone said in a statement. "In practice, federal programs intended to partner with cities and towns on immigration enforcement are broken. The reality is that in cities across the nation, police departments are routinely cooperating with ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts, while at the same time building constructive relationships with their communities to improve public safety."

As President Obama's administration wound down, on Dec. 29, 2016, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett was among a coalition of more than 100 mayors and county executives from across the country who issued an open letter to Obama, thanking him for his administration’s support for immigrant families and urging him to commit to further protection for the many immigrants in their communities before he leaves office.

“As a welcoming community, Montgomery County, Maryland has become a magnet for talented people from every corner of the globe. We know having people who understand nearly every culture and speak nearly every language is our edge in the global marketplace of the 21st century. We are working hard every day to make sure that the individuals and families that make up our diverse population of more than one million people feel safe and have the support they need to thrive,” said Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett.

Montgomery County Police and other local police agencies do not enforce federal immigration law and do not ask about an individual’s immigration status, which is ICE’s job, Lacefield said. However, county officials cooperate with ICE when they ask about specific serious offenders in custody and honor ICE criminal detainers and those ICE civil detainers consistent with Maryland attorney general guidelines. Local authorities work with ICE if they have a warrant or other court order issued by a judge.

Montgomery County Department of Corrections notifies ICE of the release date of someone in jail for criminal offenses committed in the county so they can pick them up for federal charges. Lacefield explains that sanctuary cities like San Francisco will not notify ICE, and do not respond to ICE inquiries about who is in their jail.

Building The Wall

The promise to "build a wall" was the most common refrain at Trump's campaign rallies last year. He would ask, "what are we going to do?" and the crowds would respond "build a wall." He would then ask, "who's going to pay for it?" and they would respond, "Mexico."

It's expected that the executive order Trump signs Wednesday will authorize moving forward with the wall even though Mexico has not agreed to pay for it. Administration officials have said that the work on the wall could begin and that Mexico would be forced to pay for it down the road, though a mechanism for making that happen has not been spelled out.

Trump is also expected to impose visa restrictions for people from the Middle East and suspend the program that admits refugees into the United States. The sources who spoke with Patch were not sure what would be announced on Wednesday and what on Thursday. The signing is expected to happen Wednesday when Trump visits the Department of Homeland Security for a 1:25 p.m. Eastern town hall meeting with employees.

Despite a looming executive order, Trump faces challenges when it comes to effectively shutting down sanctuary cities. According to the Washington Post, the issue isn't a high priority for most Republican lawmakers, and it would face opposition by Democrats.

Montgomery County in 2013 joined the Welcoming Cities and Counties initiative with Welcoming America. The program focuses on helping people who were born in the U.S. understand and appreciate their new immigrant neighbors.

"Diversity is more than just a 'feel-good' term for Montgomery County," said County Executive Isiah Leggett when the announcement was made. "Because we are committed to becoming America's most welcoming community, our county has become a magnet for talented people from across the country and around the world. This is Montgomery County's edge in the global marketplace of the 21st century."

In Baltimore, former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake issued an executive order in 2012 preventing police from inquiring as to a person's citizenship status and prohibiting them from participating in immigration enforcement activities. The measure was created to combat discrimination, to encourage victims to feel safe reporting crimes and to honor the heritage of Baltimore as a city where first and second-generation immigrants made up a quarter of the population in the 1920s, according to the order.

The status as a so-called sanctuary is expected to remain intact. Current Mayor Catherine Pugh said that Baltimore will "continue to be a welcoming city," according to The Baltimore Sun.

Patch Editor Colin Miner contributed to this story.
President Donald Trump (photo via The White House)