Proposal for an agreement between Wicomico County and immigration authorities has been suspended awaiting a potential ban on such a deal. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz has the story.
RUSH: A cooperation agreement between Wicomico County and immigration authorities is off the table. At the request of the county executive, Julie Giordano, the County Council last night tabled the measure to see if the Maryland General Assembly banned such an agreement. But opponents dominated the meeting, decrying the cooperation with immigration authorities as images can be seen of people being brutally swept up by agents. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz has a story.
DIAZ: Immigrant Rights activists converged on the government center in downtown Salisbury Tuesday night to demand that the Wicomico County Council reject a proposal that would allow jailers to work with federal immigration agents to flag and detained suspected illegal immigrants. After months of debate, the council had agreed to take up the program known as 287-G, but left it unclear whether it will take a public stance or leave it up to county executive Julie Giordano, who has backed the plan. This did not sit well with opponents of the plan.
FOLEY: I'm here to try to encourage our county council to vote against 287-G. Not just take a consensus, but to actually use our voices and give us a chance to have a choice in this matter.
DIAZ: That was Lena Foley, who is part of a group of more than 40 protestors demonstrating outside the courthouse. Opponents also crowded into the meeting to make their voices heard about what they see as terror, racial profiling, distrust, and intimidation.
SPEAKER: Passing 287 G will cause more distrust between citizens and law enforcement.
DIAZ: But not everybody in the room was opposed. One local veteran said that the plan is about following the law.
SPEAKER 2: Right? But if you don't file the law the way that it's written, then what's going to happen is that there's going to be more chaos. That's it. Follow the law.
DIAZ: But in the end, the council received legal advice raising questions about the legality of the arrangement under Maryland law. This seems to put a skid on the program, at least for now. It also prompted Sheriff John A. Lewis to rail against the state's democratic leadership.
LEWIS: We are witnessing Maryland politics at its best. Sadly, we are in the midst of what has become one of the most challenging situations we have ever faced in our law enforcement careers. For four years under the Biden administration, we had no borders at all. This failed disastrous policy created what we see now, a humanitarian crisis of biblical proportions, which has now created a homeland security crisis for our nation. Meanwhile, Maryland has become a Disneyland for illegal immigrants, providing attraction and free rides, while costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
DIAZ: Wicomico county, with poultry and farm industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor, join this debate earlier this year when Sheriff Lewis proposed entering into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. Giordano, the county executive has called the plan one of the most hands-off approaches to cooperation. Sheriff's deputies would not actively participate in immigration raids out in the community. Rather, they would be permitted to hold people for ICE agents once they're already in jail for other offenses. The council's two Democrats, Shanie Shields and Josh Hastings expressed their opposition to the program. But some of the Republicans on the committee questioned whether the council has any real role. Council President John Ken has suggested that Giordano is trying to spread around the political heat.
KEN: Anyone in this room I think is smart enough to know when someone is passing the buck.
DIAZ: But for now, Giordano told the council that she has to put the plan on hold.
GIORDANO: For right now, until I know what the General Assembly is doing, we do need to put this on the back burner until we get through session.
DIAZ: For Delmarva Public Media, this is Kevin Diaz reporting.
