A new online portal lets residents report U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity that is now outlawed by Montgomery County.
There are five pieces of legislation now in effect in Montgomery County in response to ICE activity. They are:
- Unmask ICE Act: Prohibits law enforcement agencies from wearing masks or facial coverings in Montgomery County while on duty, with some exceptions.
- County Values Act: Prohibits immigration enforcement in county-owned or county-controlled parking lots and garages.
- Trust Act: Ensures residents can use county services regardless of immigration status.
- ICE Out Act: Prohibits permits for any privately-owned detention facility in Montgomery County.
- Vehicle Recovery Act: Requires towing companies to accept a broader range of documentation to release a towed car.
County leaders have said they are “pushing the limits of federalism” despite federal oversight of ICE, according to County Councilmember Will Jawando. He said that the county laws were crafted to use local power.
“The county can do a lot,” County Council President Natali Fani-González said in a previous statement.
The mask-related reports will go to the Office of the County Attorney for review to determine if there is evidence to issue a citation to the ICE officer, said Earl Stoddard, assistant chief administrative officer for Montgomery County, during the weekly media briefing with County Executive Marc Elrich on Wednesday.
Stoddard also said citations are unlikely.
“Obviously that bar is quite high. We do not anticipate that happening in all or potentially even many cases,” Stoddard said.
The staging-related reports go to the county transportation and police departments so they can analyze trends to see if there are routine locations where ICE agents tend to go. Then, the county can decide if more signage will be posted or if fencing or gates will be put up.
The information on the portal emphasizes that submissions are meant for tracking purposes, and is not a way to get emergency help or an individual response.
For residents seeking local governement assistance in response to an ICE raid or detention, officials encourage contacting the Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center at 240-777-4940 or CASA’s Rapid Response Hotline at 1-888-214-6016.
