While speaking on The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi on Friday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the county would not abide by some of the actions proposed by President-elect Donald Trump.
“We know we can’t be compelled to do a lot of the things he wants to do,” Elrich said. However, he said he is not sure how to protect people from deportation. “The most important thing we need to show” is support for our people.
If the Trump Administration carries out mass deportation, the county may not be able to stop the raids, but “we can’t be deputized” and therefore won’t assist, he said on WAMU. Instead, the Trump Administration probably will use the U.S. Army, Elrich said.
“You start raiding restaurants, there is a real potential ripple effect on the economy that we are worried about,” he said.
If the federal government wants to house residents slated for deportation in the county jail, that will mean current inmates will have to be released as the jail is crowded, he said.
He also voiced concerns that Trump’s threats to greatly reduce the federal workforce and move federal jobs out of the D.C. area would have a devastating impact on the county budget and housing stock.
“It hurts Montgomery County. It hurts everybody in the region,” he said. “If federal jobs are moved, the incomes leave.”
If well paid federal workers move out of the area, Elrich doesn’t think the county has adequate jobs with similar salaries to draw new residents here.
However, he said, “We are planning our budget for a normal year,” adding, “If we have to make changes during the year as the Administration changes, we will deal with it.”
At noon today I'll join Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood for The Politics Hour on 88.5 FM and online. I always enjoy talking about our County and how we are working to make Montgomery County a better place for everyone.
Listen live on https://t.co/GwmIZcrl6I pic.twitter.com/E5Ak7BpnXg
— County Exec Marc Elrich (@MontCoExec) December 6, 2024
