Protest held in Towson in response to Baltimore County's agreement with ICE
Residents in Baltimore County rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday afternoon, demanding transparency and accountability from the county's government after it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the agency last month.
Last week, the county Department of Corrections reaffirmed its agreement with ICE to alert the feds before releasing anyone with an immigration warrant or detainee from custody.
The county says the MOU has been in effect for years and was formally agreed on in June 2024. It does not change any policies and puts Baltimore County on par with other localities in Maryland, according to the county.
WJZ reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for comment about the MOU and has not yet heard back.
No 287(g) agreement, county says
Baltimore County claims there was no 287(g) agreement, which would allow local police to assist in ICE operations, including arrests.
The county states that it was only removed from the DOJ's list of sanctuary jurisdictions because of the MOU, which was put in place last year.
Last week, the DOJ released an updated list, removing Baltimore County after the county previously pushed back against its presence on the list.
Additionally, the county says if it stayed on the sanctuary city list, it would've risked losing federal funding. By signing the agreement, the county says it is securing necessary funding for services.
Residents protest
Residents expressed their frustrations toward the county and County Executive Kathy Klausmeier with a rally outside of Baltimore County offices and the old county courthouse.
"When people go to the courts and when they go to the jails and all. Why should someone else come in and say, I want to pick you up like that's not fair," Maureen Wambui, an immigrant advocate, said. "They are not trained culturally to work with immigrants."
Councilman Izzy Patoka also attended the rally. He says he is drafting a new bill to put before the county council to set guardrails for how county agencies interact with ICE and limit the authority of ICE in the county. He says he plans to propose this bill on Nov. 17.
Patoka, who's running for Baltimore County Executive, said the county should not give in to federal pressure and should defend its immigrant communities.
He also says he would want to see an itemized list of what funding would've been cut had the county not reaffirmed the MOU, and to hear from the county attorneys about what legal options it has.
"At the same time that we have a federal government shutdown, the same time we have federal employees being laid off, we're expanding ICE. That doesn't make sense to me," Patoka said.
Klaumeier's office responded, saying, "Baltimore County government continues to prioritize public safety while also respecting the constitutional rights of all residents."
A county executive spokesperson continued, "A recently signed memorandum of understanding between the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and Baltimore County memorializes operational procedures developed and instituted in 2024, which provides the federal government appropriate notice when releasing detainees from County custody."
Additional space in Maryland for ICE agents?
This controversial agreement comes as the federal government tries to lease additional office space in Hyattsville and Baltimore City, which could be used for additional ICE officers and agents.
Immigration debate
The move comes as President Trump doubled down on his immigration policy during an interview with 60 Minutes last weekend.
"I think they haven't gone far enough because we've been held back by the judges," Trump said.
Gov. Wes Moore says he has "deep problems" with how the Trump administration is handling immigration, adding it is not making the streets safer, nor following the Constitution.
"We believe in the rule of law here in the state of Maryland, and we are going to make sure that all Marylanders can feel safe in their own communities, their in their own skin," Moore said.
