Howard County Council to vote on emergency bill that could restrict ICE detention centers
The Howard County Council is expected to hold a final vote Thursday on an emergency bill that would prevent privately-owned buildings from being used as detention centers.
The bill was introduced after the county inspected a building in Elkridge that County Executive Calvin Ball said was being renovated to become a detention facility. The county has since revoked the permit from a third-party company.
The renovations initially raised concerns after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bought a warehouse in Washington County that the agency said would be used as a detention center.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for ICE said the agency had no plans to buy a facility or open a detention center in Howard County.
The emergency bill was introduced in Howard County earlier in the week by Executive Ball following the inspection of the building in the 6500 block of Meadowridge Road.
"The creation of privately-owned detention facilities anywhere in our county and state raises serious concerns about health, welfare, and oversight that must be addressed," Ball said.
A third-party company received the permit to renovate parts of the building in August 2025.
The building permit said the renovations included "improvement of tenant spaces, supported areas, detention facility, detainee processing, and secured waiting areas," Ball said.
On Wednesday, hundreds of residents showed up to share their thoughts about the legislation and detention centers during a hearing.
"These types of transactions can't happen under everyone's noses," said Councilmember Opel Jones. "It needs to be out in the forefront. We need to notify the public, give it time, and be able to say yay or nay, we do like this or not."
The council will vote on the legislation on Thursday around 6 p.m.