Montgomery County Council President Natali Fani-González testified in Annapolis on Thursday in support of a proposed bill that would prohibit local and state police from making immigration arrests or engaging in other federal immigration enforcement activities.
She testified on behalf of the County Council.
Fani-González testified before the Maryland State Judicial Proceedings Committee, chaired by Sen. Will Smith (D-20), in support of the senate bill.
The bill prohibits law enforcement agents from the state, local government and the sheriffs’ office from entering into an immigration enforcement agreement. If approved, it would go into effect July 1.
“Immigration enforcement is, and must remain, a federal responsibility. When local law enforcement is drawn into civil immigration matters, it blurs jurisdictional lines and diverts limited resources away from core public-safety priorities, crime prevention, emergency response, and community trust and cooperation,” she testified.
Fani-González also told committee members that community trust is essential to public safety. She noted that residents are more likely to report crimes and assist in police investigations and even seek police help “when they trust that local police are focused on their safety rather than immigration enforcement.”
Fani-González also testified that tasking county law enforcement officers with immigration duties would cost the county time and money due to specialized training, detention of residents and legal liabilities.
The proposed bill would not stop the county from cooperating with federal authorities on serious criminal matters, she said. Local agencies would still share information and work jointly with federal officials when it is appropriate, according to Fani-González.
According to a press release from her office Fani-Gonzalez concluded, “Finally, let’s take a hard look at what’s unfolding in American cities since immigration crackdowns began in Los Angeles, spread to Chicago, and now reach Minneapolis. That is not who we are, that is not how we keep communities safe. On the contrary, these actions generate chaos, the oldest tactic in the book used throughout history by dictators to install (sic) fear and tighten their grip on power.”
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