Montgomery County officials said Tuesday they would comply with a federal crackdown on illegal immigrants, acknowledging that they are powerless to block the program that leads to more deportations of those in the country illegally. Last week, County Executive Ike Leggett told The Washington Examiner he was weighing potential legal challenges against the Secure Communities program, saying it would undermine public safety.
The program requires local detention centers to send inmates’ fingerprints to a national database that helps federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents identify and deport illegal immigrants.
Currently, the county forwards the names of inmates who are convicted of violent crimes to the Department of Homeland Security.
But a resolution passed by the council Tuesday said the county would comply with the program, scheduled to begin in September.
“The Montgomery County Council values the trust and confidence of all its residents and encourages our public safety officials to work closely with ICE to ensure that the Secure Communities Program is implemented consistently with its stated purpose and goals,” the resolution said.
It was an about-face for some council members, who previously said the program should not be allowed.
Previously, four council members said they did not support the “deportations of individuals who have not engaged in any criminal activity through the Secure Communities program, because it undermines community trust in the police.”
The program’s most vocal critic, Nancy Navarro, D-eastern county, acknowledged Tuesday that “we are not able to stop this program; this is not a volunteer program.”
Casa de Maryland, an immigration advocacy group, held a news conference outside the council building in Rockville to praise the resolution. However, many in the crowd were unaware of the watered-down language when questioned by The Washington Examiner.
Still, Casa Executive Director Gustavo Torres said he welcomed the message from Montgomery officials.
“It’s part of the negotiation,” he said. “Sure, I would have preferred the original [language]. We wanted a unanimous vote. I still think the message is clear that Secure Communities is not doing what it was intended to do.”
According to multiple county officials, however, council members were concerned opposing the federal program would label the jurisdiction as a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants.
Montgomery’s shift on the federal program mirrors that of another Washington-area jurisdiction, as Arlington County attempted to opt out of Secure Communities but was rebuffed by the federal government.
