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Despite being on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee鈥檚 voting list Monday, legislation to provide protections for and establish trust between Maryland鈥檚 undocumented residents and the state and local government did not receive a vote in time to meet the General Assembly鈥檚 crossover deadline.
搁补迟丑别谤,听, sponsored by Senate Judicial Proceedings Chairman William C. Smith Jr. (D-Montgomery), will be debated in the committee 鈥� which has been historically hostile to immigrants鈥� rights legislation 鈥� Tuesday afternoon.
鈥淓ach year, the bill confronted opposition primarily by committee and chamber leadership in the Senate,鈥� the immigrants rights group CASA wrote in a news release Saturday. 鈥淢eanwhile, more and more Maryland residents were swept up by outrageous acts by law enforcement agencies.鈥�
But a series of other measures seeking to shield undocumented people from the threat of being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have made headway at both the state and local levels.
On Monday, the House of Delegates passed听, which would prohibit state and local government agencies from providing records or data to ICE for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement.
The debate on the House floor centered on so-called second-tier drivers鈥� licenses that the state issues for undocumented immigrants.
Del. Anne Healey (D-Prince George鈥檚) said that ICE uses data from these driver鈥檚 licenses to 鈥渢rack down鈥� and deport undocumented immigrants.
Del. John F. 鈥淛ohnny鈥� Mautz IV (R-Middle Shore), arguing in the bill鈥檚 opposition, insisted that the bill extends extra protections to undocumented immigrants with drivers鈥� licenses 鈥� noting that his driver鈥檚 license has been 鈥渁ccessed for other purposes.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any privacy protections,鈥� Mautz said.
鈥淵es, their situation is dire; yes we need to do something to help them,鈥� he told the chamber, 鈥渂ut creating laws that are 鈥� skewed to favor one group over another 鈥� that鈥檚 what鈥檚 going on.鈥�
Del. Jason C. Buckel (R-Allegany) questioned why Democrats feel that the state has the authority to reject federal immigration law.
鈥淚 simply want to encourage people to understand that we are not in Congress,鈥� Buckel stressed. 鈥淲hy we have to keep putting up blocks and roadblocks over and over and over again and bill after bill to let ICE do their job under federal law is beyond me.鈥�
The bill鈥檚 sponsor, Del. Dana L. Stein (D-Baltimore County), countered that the bill doesn鈥檛 stop ICE from doing its job, but seeks to prohibit the agency from using routine traffic stops and data collection for the express purpose of deporting undocumented immigrants.
鈥淭his bill does not change the rules,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 responding to bending the rules by ICE.鈥�
The bill passed on a vote of 84-47 鈥� one vote shy of a veto-proof majority.
Last week, the House passed the听听from Del. Vaughn Stewart (D-Montgomery), which would effectively end ICE contracts at three county jails in the state, and jurisdictions would be prohibited from entering into contracts with the federal agency and private prison companies down the line.
鈥淭his bill stops a depraved federal agency from paying counties and private prison companies to pick up regular Marylanders for stupid reasons and subject them to inhumane treatment,鈥� Stewart said in a statement. 鈥淢aryland is better than ICE and its detention centers.鈥�
鈥淣o one should profit from human misery,鈥� he said. 鈥淢aryland should no longer be complicit in ICE鈥檚 depravity.鈥�
The bill passed on a vote of 86-44. A cross-filed bill sponsored by Smith in the Senate has stalled in his committee.
Even if the bills from Stewart and Stein flounder in the Senate, there is movement at the local level to shift relationships with ICE.
Howard County Executive Calvin D. Ball (D) has a news conference scheduled for Tuesday morning to discuss the county department of corrections鈥� longstanding contract with the federal agency.听The Baltimore Sun听听that the county is expected to end the arrangement.
鈥淎s I鈥檝e made clear before, it is our policy to鈥痯roactively revisit and evaluate the ICE contract with the Howard County Department of Corrections,鈥� Ball said in a statement Monday. 鈥淲hen we last adjusted our contract in October 2020, I promised to keep our community updated on the next steps and any actions moving forward.鈥�
