The efforts to engage Wicomico County in the 287-G cooperation program between immigration authorities and local law enforcement appears to be doomed. Maryland lawmakers in both houses in Annapolis have approved legislation to ban such agreements. Delmarva Public Media's Don Rush talks with County Executive Julie Giordano who supports such agreements about her reaction.
RUSH: Annapolis has approved measures that would ban 287-G cooperation agreements between local law enforcement and immigration officials. This is Don Rush. The agreements would allow police to ask about immigration status during an arrest and hold them for up to 48 hours. They give immigration customs and enforcement time to pick them up. Wicomico County executive Julie Giordano has pushed for such an agreement with immigration officials. We caught up with her to get her reaction to the latest developments.
GIORDANO: I think we're a little disappointed, but I'm not necessarily shocked. This is something that they claim that they wanted to do. I just hope that the General Assembly and the governor really understand the ramifications of taking away this jail enforcement model or any sort of correctional model with the 287-G. Tom Homan, who is our borders czar, has said, if they don't let us in their jails, we're going to be coming in the communities. And I think that that was mine, and I don't want to speak for him, but mine and Sheriff [Michael A.] Lewis', biggest concerns. Operationally, nothing's going to change too much for us right now, but it is a shame because it would've been a good partnership to have with the federal government.
RUSH: Do you really think that we're going to see groups of ICE folks roaming around the streets here in Wicomico County?
I don't necessarily know if there'll be roaming around the streets, but they are going to be doing community enforcement. Right now we have good working relationships at the jail level across the state in nine different counties, and that is no longer going to be the case. So whether I use this example a lot, if ICE wants John, and we could have given ICE John behind the safety and security of our correctional facility, and now that it's gone away, it's not like ICE is not still going to go after John. ICE is still going to go after John, and if they have to go in the community or kick in doors or do whatever they need to do to get John, they're going to do so and they have every right to do so as the sheriff stated. So I think that we are going to see an increase of ICE presence. I think it'll just depend. I think a lot of factors sort of play into it, but I do think we're going to see increased presence.
RUSH: How much do you think this is a result or reaction to a lot of the scenes that we've seen certainly in Minneapolis? How much do you think the momentum for this measure to ban the 287-G is reaction to those kinds of scenes that we've been seeing?
GIORDANO: Well, honestly, I mean I think it probably has some to do with it, but one has nothing to do with the other. These people were never injured in the 287-G agreement. It's when people interfere with law enforcement and interfere with operations going on as to where people are injured. So do I think that this is reactionary to that? Yeah, I think it's reactionary and sort of put in the wrong place. I think that this is a very much a political move for the Democrats in Annapolis to say that we're not going to work with this, but I think they're cutting off their nose despite their face, honestly. I think it's going to cause more of an issue than it helps. It's definitely more hurtful than helpful in my opinion.
RUSH: Wicomico county executive, Julie Giordano, on the measure of that would ban 287-G cooperation agreements between local law enforcement and immigration authorities. The full interview can be heard on this Friday's Delmarva Today at noon at WSDL and WESM. This is Don Rush for Delmarva Public Media.
