The Trust Act, which would ensure the constitutional rights of the county’s immigrant population, gained enthusiastic and unanimous support from members of the committees on government operations and fiscal policy and public safety Wednesday.
The expedited bill will now go before the full council for a vote.
The bill prohibits discriminatory practices by the county toward immigrants. It updates and codifies a 2019 county executive order aimed at gaining trust from members of the county’s immigration population so they will not be afraid to contact police or other county service providers because they fear of being arrested or deported.
County officials would not be permitted to ask a person’s immigration status. The bill would also prohibit discrimination against immigrants and deny benefits based on a person’s immigration status. Federal agents would not be permitted to enter county buildings if they are conducting strictly civil immigration operations.
If an application requires someone to show a Maryland ID, the county would be required to accept an ID from another country, if the bill becomes law.
“The county can’t stop, arrest or detain anyone just because of their immigration status,” said Christine Wellons, the county’s chief legislative attorney.
Much of the Trust Act is already the law in Montgomery County, but the proposed legislation would codify what the county can and cannot do in regard to its immigrant community and interactions with federal immigration agents.
A representative from County Executive Marc Elrich’s office said he is “very supportive” of the Trust Act and that his staff would be responsible for training county employees on the details.
Councilmember Kate Stewart, who chaired the brief committee hearing, noted, “There have been 16 shootings by federal agents doing immigration enforcement since July in our country.” She continued, “I want to just take a moment and think about the people across the country and even in our own community who are impacted right now.”
Councilmember Sidney Katz added, “What this country is going through right now is hard to believe, and everyday seems to be worse than the day before.” He continued, “We as a community are coming together as a family to make certain that our families remain safe as they possibly can.”
During the joint committee hearing, Councilmember Dawn Luedtke asked what the county could legally do if a private resident sold their land to the federal government for use as an immigrant detention center.
“Obviously, we can’t prevent the government [from purchasing land a private entity is willing to sell],” Wellons said.
She added that the county would evaluate such incidents on a case-by-case basis.
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