Baltimore's council bans ICE from city buildings, restricts police cooperation
Baltimore's city council unanimously approved a bill on Monday that bars city police from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts and bans immigration officers from city buildings.
The measure also prevents the city from collecting and sharing data related to immigration status.
"We are not going to leave our neighbors to be harassed and discriminated against by a rogue ICE, which has no respect for cities, no respect for people, no respect for Baltimore," Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen said at Monday's council session.
The legislation is similar to emergency bills that passed in surrounding counties, including Howard and Baltimore counties.
"Our immigrant communities are living in fear right now," Baltimore Councilmember Odette Ramos said. "The passage of the Safe Spaces and Communities Act sends a strong message that BPD will not cooperate with ICE, and that our agencies will protect our residents when they are in city facilities. We must do everything in our power to hold back the terror that ICE is engaging in our communities."
CBS News Baltimore reached out to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.
Baltimore County restricts cooperation with ICE
The Baltimore County Council passed an emergency bill in February that prevents county employees and agencies, including police, from helping ICE agents with immigration enforcement.
Under the bill, county employees would not be allowed to help ICE with collecting or distributing information about a person's immigration status. Under the same bill, employees and agencies are prohibited from asking about a person's citizenship, nationality, or immigration status unless the person is applying for a passport, voter registration or to become a sworn officer.
Howard County's immigration policies
Also in February, Howard County's council passed a bill, 4-1, that limits ICE's access to county agencies.
Under the law, guidelines would be created to dictate how county employees will let leaders know about ICE's presence in their communities. The law also declares that contracts that support immigration enforcement are void and unenforceable.
The bill stated that county departments needed to set policies that limit ICE's access to some areas, as well as directing how county employees alert of ICE's presence.
Councilman David Yungmann and Councilwoman Deb Jung said that some county workers' unions raised concerns about implementation.
When asked about those concerns, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said his administration has reached out to workers already.
"We want to empower and educate our employees. We want to make sure that in these challenging times, they have the information they need to navigate these troubled waters," Ball said.
