Howard County launches online form to report ICE activity
Howard County has launched an online form for residents to report sightings of federal immigration enforcement officers, including those with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The form, launched Friday, asks residents to provide information about where and when they witnessed the activity, describe what they saw, and note any identifying markings. Submissions can be made anonymously.
In a news release announcing the form, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said the goal is to promote accountability for federal immigration enforcement officers.
"Unfortunately, we have seen horrific incidents unfold between ICE agents and members of the public. Like any other federal agency that conducts business in Howard County, we want to make sure any actions are lawful," Ball said.
The form is not intended for emergencies but is designed to collect information about reported sightings and enforcement activity.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security criticized the initiative in an emailed statement to CBS News Baltimore.
"ICE tracking portals put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger," a DHS spokesperson said. "Our law officers are facing a 1,600% increase in assaults, a 3,300% increase in vehicle attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats."
Howard County is not the first jurisdiction in Maryland to create an online tool for reporting ICE activity. Montgomery County launched a similar form over the summer.
Ramped-up immigration enforcement
Howard County's reporting form launched one day after a federal immigration enforcement officer shot Oscar Bergal, 28, in the neck in New York City on Thursday. Bergal was inside a car, and a 5-year-old boy was in the back seat at the time of the shooting.
A judge has temporarily blocked Bergal's deportation.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the shooting, saying Bergal refused orders to get out of the car. The agency also described him as an undocumented immigrant with alleged gang ties.
Last month, a confrontation between protesters and ICE officers in a quiet Frederick neighborhood drew national attention.
No one was arrested in connection with the incident. Members of Maryland's congressional delegation have since called for an investigation into what happened.
CBS News Baltimore spoke with a woman whose family appeared to be the focus of the ICE activity in Frederick.
"We're all citizens, so just the fact it was happening to us, it really did shock me," she told WJZ reporter Drew Aunkst.
Maryland and Virginia were also targeted in a major federal immigration enforcement operation in August. Operation Safe Community resulted in the arrests of more than 1,300 people suspected of being in the country illegally.
