Four Montgomery County Council members are asking law enforcement to ignore a federal deportation program that is expected to be forced on the county later this year. A resolution being pushed by Councilwoman Nancy Navarro, D-Eastern county, “encourages” Montgomery County police to “continue its current policy” and not participate in the Secure Communities program, run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“What we want is the county to continue its current policy and we ultimately would like to see the federal policy revised,” said Hans Riemer, D-at large, another sponsor of the resolution.
Navarro did not respond to several requests for comment.
A Department of Homeland Security official told The Washington Examiner that immigration officials will mandate that Montgomery County participate in the Secure Communities program, likely by September.
The program sends the fingerprints of all county inmates to the Department of Homeland Security, who use them to check the inmates’ immigration status. Illegal immigrants identified through the program can be deported.
Unlike other area jurisdictions actively taking part in Secure Communities, Montgomery County has resisted joining the program voluntarily. Under current policy, the county provides information to ICE only about illegal immigrants who have been charged with violent crimes.
County Executive Ike Leggett has signaled that he won’t stand in the way of Secure Communities’ implementation if forced. Donna Bigler, a spokeswoman for Leggett, said the county plans to implement the program if mandated.
Still, Montgomery hasn’t received a formal letter from ICE mandating the program, said Arthur Wallenstein, the director of the county Department of Correction and Rehabilitation.
Wallenstein said Monday that the Secure Communities program wouldn’t change the day-to-day operations of the jail. A police spokesman declined to comment.
The resolution says the council members are concerned that the program will “promote a culture of fear.” And there’s concern of abuse as the program allows illegal immigrants charged — but not convicted — with crimes to be deported.
“There’s a big difference in someone being charged with an offense and someone being booked for an offense,” said Councilman George Leventhal, D-at large.
Council President Valerie Ervin, D-Silver Spring, also is sponsoring the resolution.
But Brad Botwin, director of the anti-illegal immigration group Help Save Maryland, dismissed those arguments, said the program is “well within the law.”
“We think that it is a very limited and very good program,” Botwin said. “And it really only touches those that are in jail.”
