by Jade Fadrowski
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Community leaders and advocates on Friday called on legislators to pass a bill that would end Howard County’s 25-year contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Howard County Councilwoman Liz Walsh introduced the bill for immigrant justice, known as CB 51. Officials said the legislation would make it illegal for the Department of Corrections to accept individuals detained by federal immigration law enforcement agencies.
The county council votes on Monday to end Howard County’s agreement with ICE. The bill needs three votes to pass, but four votes would protect it from a possible veto from County Executive Calvin Ball, officials explained.
“ICE’s continued presence in Howard County makes immigrants less likely to cooperate with county police and report crimes making everyone less secure,” said Del. Jennifer Terrasa, who represents District 13. “Howard County should be at the forefront of efforts to achieve social and racial justice. Ending the contract is the right and humane thing to do.”
Community leaders and advocates insisted the current immigration policy terrorizes black and brown people in the community and profits off of fear and abuse.
“We may not all be immigrants, but we can all care about immigrants,” Walsh said. “We can be a county for immigrants.”
Individuals spoke about the horrors of immigration detention and the need to eradicate contracts that allow ICE to hold people in immigration detention.
Maria Rivas shared a story about her brother Kevin who was detained by ICE in May. Kevin spent five months in the Howard County Detention Center, she said, stressing he had never been charged or convicted of crimes. This leaves her to believe he was detained for being an immigrant, said Rivas, a member of CASA de Maryland.
“Immigration detention is no different than jail,” Rivas said. “He shared stories with me about lack of basic supplies like toilet paper, medical attention, and even went five days without shoes in the facility.”
CASA de Maryland is a Latino and immigration advocacy-and-assistance organization based in Maryland. It was formerly known as Central American Solidarity Association (CASA).
Jose Santos Quintero, also a CASA member, was released only a few weeks ago from the Howard County Detention Center. He said that ICE agents took him from his home, processed him in Baltimore, and took him to the Detention Center.
“It’s very sad how they treat us immigrants at the detention center,” said Quintero. “When they see people there suffering on the floor vomiting, having diarrhea, the people in charge don’t care. They don’t seek them medical treatment. I don’t want any human being to suffer what I’ve suffered at that detention center.”
Howard County’s contract with ICE is still in place and allows ICE to continue to rent beds and separate families, officials said.
The Howard County Coalition for Immigrant Justice demanded that the County Council support emergency legislation to decrease the number of beds ICE can rent, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ending the contract will help immigrants in the community and protect immigrants throughout Maryland, officials said.
“Immigrants in Howard County shouldn’t have to live in fear, feel like outsiders, or be treated horribly for merely existing. Detention is often unnecessary and always a traumatic experience for people,” said Nick Taichi Steiner, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.
Steiner continued, “Immigrants can still remain with their families, without being put in a cage. We need to reduce the number of beds ICE can use to separate families in ways that are often unconstitutional.”
Although many people argue that attorneys need to have access to immigrants as a way to justify keeping them in Howard County, Arlene JM Grant, an immigration attorney, said the argument is not factual.
“I represent people in California and I’m in Maryland,” said Grant. “There are many options that exist. The facilities don’t need to be open in order to manage the immigrant population.”
Grant added, “They have ankle monitoring. An attorney is able to access [his or her] client[s] wherever they are. There’s no reason to keep people in cages. They’re not animals.”
“Ankle monitoring and check-ins are effective,” Grant continued. “There are bail payments and bonds to maintain compliance and manage flight risk concerns.”
There are two detention centers in Maryland. There are currently an estimated 20 to 15 individuals detained in Howard County, officials said. There’s a misconception that immigration is a criminal matter, but that’s not the case.
“I’m happy to see that there weren’t undercutting amendments filed,” said Walsh. “Yesterday was the deadline for that. I’m not sure what to expect. I’m hopeful that we earn Opel Jones vote, keep Christina Rigby’s vote, and still have time to persuade the executive.”