Dozens of people rallied in Towson Tuesday afternoon in support of legislation designed to protect Baltimore County’s residents who are non-U.S. citizens.
Jossie Flor Sapunar, CASA’s national communications director, said the violence that’s been brought about by immigration enforcement in other parts of the country does not belong in Baltimore County.
“We belong here,” Sapunar said. “Our law belongs here. We belong in Towson, in Owings Mills, in Arbutus, in Catonsville, in Rosedale, in Pikesville, in Randallstown. That’s Baltimore County and that’s what we’re fighting for.”
Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka introduced two pieces of legislation he said are designed to protect the county’s non-U.S. citizens.
One would prohibit county employees from assisting in immigration enforcement. The other would establish an Office of Immigrant Affairs within the county executive’s office. The county already has a Chief of Immigrant Affairs.
Patoka said he believes the legislation would reduce fear and would “increase due process.”
However, Dakarai Turner, press secretary for County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, said Patoka’s legislation regarding immigration enforcement would not change county policies or operations.
“Baltimore County does not enforce immigration laws or ask about immigration or citizenship status unless required by state or federal law,” Turner said.
The rally came hours before a public hearing on the legislation held by the county council. More than three dozen people signed up to speak, most of them in favor of the legislation.
“We cannot allow this out of control agency (ICE) to use Baltimore County to carry out its white supremacist agenda,” Bilal Askaryar told the county council.
But Glen Geelhaar, a Republican who is running for the House of Delegates in Legislative District 8, called the legislation misguided.
“For those who come in legally, who have gone through the process, gone through the paperwork, gone through the waiting list, I think it’s offensive that there are people who are getting preferential treatment, who have jumped the line,” Geelhaar said.
The county council has a second public hearing scheduled on the legislation on January 27 and is expected to vote on the bills on February 2.
