‘We have to stand with the community’: Montgomery Co. leaders introduce bills to limit immigration enforcement
Montgomery County Council members Will Jawando and Kristin Mink are proposing bills to limit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to county facilities and bar the use of masks by law enforcement.
Mink is introducing the “County Values Act” which, she told WTOP, builds on existing state law.
Referring to ICE’s ability to carry out enforcement at certain locations, she said the state’s existing legislation “established that a judicial warrant requirement must be used at certain sensitive locations which were defined by the state as places like schools, libraries, et cetera.”
Mink’s bill expands on that state legislation to include the judicial warrant requirement at all county facilities, including recreation centers.
Asked about the language in the bill that refers to nonpublic areas, Mink explained that would be any part of a county facility where residents are required to sign in to use a space, or to show ID to prove they’re a county resident and therefore have access to a space.
For example, she said, at a recreation or aquatic facility, “to get into the pool area, there’s a process, right? That’s not just open for anybody to walk in.”
“We need to make sure that all of our county staff know, that wherever they are, whatever building they’re in,” they do not need to let ICE agents or officers in without a judicial warrant, Mink said. “And they can get legal support on the phone right away to review that.”
Mink said county council members have heard from residents — including U.S. citizens — who are concerned about immigration enforcement efforts in their neighborhoods.
“We have to stand with the community,” she said. “In this moment, as a county, we have to be able to look back and say that we did every single thing that we could possibly do … from the terrorism that is being wrought upon us.”
Mink’s bill would also deny ICE access to county parking garages, parking lots and county-owned vacant lots.
Council member Jawando will also be introducing a bill — the “Unmask ICE Act” — that would prohibit law enforcement from wearing masks, with some exceptions.
Law enforcement “are not to wear masks in our community,” Jawando said. “And our law enforcement already doesn’t wear masks, but this would be codifying that practice.”
Asked about whether the ban on face coverings on agents and officers in law enforcement could stand up to legal challenge, Jawando said, “The state of California and … LA County passed this legislation. It’s being challenged by the Trump administration. I suspect they may challenge this one in court as well, and I’m happy to have that debate.”
The bills will be introduced at Tuesday’s council session. The lawmakers plan a news conference later that day to discuss details and introduce supporters of the bills.
WTOP has reached out to ICE for comment on the proposed legislation.