According to numerous news sources, two people were arrested by ICE Wednesday following an enforcement operation on the Clara Barton Parkway near Lock 7.
Alerted to the operation by nearby protesters warning of ICE presence, two people abandoned their vehicle and fled toward the Potomac River.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service were enlisted to rescue the suspects with their boats. The two people were later arrested and held in custody by ICE.
On Twitter one user said witnesses saw ICE personnel aboard the MCFRS rescue crafts — information that has not been verified. Attempts by MCM to obtain details from MCFRS went unanswered as of this writing.
County leaders condemn ICE activity
On Thursday, Council President Natali Fani- Gonzalez and County Executive Marc Elrich issued a joint statement condemning the ICE arrests.
“Yesterday’s incident on the Potomac River was exactly the kind of fear and chaos that federal immigration enforcement tactics are creating in our community. Aggressive operations that target people driving to work, like this one, make our community feel more like a police state than the community we know Montgomery County to be.”
Safety led county police, fire and rescue response, officials say
Elrich and Fani-Gonzalez clarified that any involvement by MCFRS and MCPD ” …was limited solely to ensuring safety and providing assistance if rescue or emergency response became necessary. After it was determined that assistance was not needed, MCPD officers disengaged from the incident. MCPD officers did not participate in the pursuit, detention, apprehension or enforcement actions associated with this federal operation.”
In the same manner they affirmed the singular role of MCFRS.
“MCFRS’s role in this multi-agency incident was strictly limited to addressing the immediate life-safety hazards in the water. ”
The joint press release concluded with a note of reassurance to residents opposed to the ICE activity.
“Our County agencies are here to protect the safety of everyone who lives in, works in, and visits Montgomery County, not to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement. That has not and will not change,” stated Elrich and Fani-Gonzalez.
