Support overflows for Baltimore ICE restriction bill, but some questions remain

Baltimore neighbors packed a city council committee hearing on Tuesday, regarding a bill aiming to restrict ICE enforcement in the city.

A lot of it goes hand-in-hand with Mayor Brandon Scott's executive order from last week, as the bill would codify elements of that order into city law.

While no one testified against the bill, several people raised questions and concerns.

Curbing ICE enforcement

As President Trump's tramped up immigration agenda continues, the fear has only grown in immigrant communities around the Baltimore region.

At Baltimore City Council's Public Safety Committee hearing Tuesday, Monserrat, a CASA member, talked about her fears of having to go back to Honduras as a trans woman.

"If I were to be deported to Honduras, I would be killed just for being who I am," she said.

Others testified about the toll federal immigration enforcement is having on communities.

"Immigrants, regardless of status, are far less likely to report crimes or cooperate with law enforcement when they fear any interaction with city agencies could expose them to deportation," said Valeria Gomez, the Director of the Immigrant Rights Clinic and Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Both Gomez and Monserrat say this is why it's important Baltimore City Council pass the Safe Spaces and Communities Act. First introduced a month ago, its overall goal is to protect immigrants and curb ICE enforcement in the city.

The bill aims to ban city agencies from working with ICE, make sure agencies know how to respond if federal officers try to get information from them about someone, and even restrict ICE from city property.

There are few exceptions written in the bill. Agencies would have to abide by ICE if federal or state law necessitates it, also if there's a court order.

Councilwoman Odette Ramos is one of the three who first introduced this bill.

"This is deeply, deeply personal for me," she said. "It is horrifying to see my community members being snatched off the streets simply because they look a little different, they have darker skin, and they have an accent."

Some concerns

Everyone who testified Tuesday did so in support of the bill, but some people asked for more clarity before a final version is passed.

One of those people was Sergio España, a community organizer in Baltimore.

"We would like to just get a bit of more clarity on how these guidelines will be actively enforced across city agencies," España said. "We've also heard from community members across the city that they would like easier access to information on how their rights are being protected by our government."

Representatives from the city's Department of Law and Baltimore Police Department also shared some concerns.

The Department of Law representative said ICE can't be barred from places like a park. The BPD representative was worried about potential impact the bill would have on task force participation.

It's not clear exactly when Baltimore City Council will vote on this bill.