During an interview Friday on WAMU radio’s The Politics Hour, Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart declared she is not a candidate for county executive when Marc Elrich’s term expires.
Stewart spent most of her interview talking about how important it is for county police officers to keep residents safe and help them understand that they can be trusted. In order for officers to do their job, they need the support and trust of residents, she said.
Many immigrants are concerned with possible federal raids and deportations. “Our police department is not involved with ICE” (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) when it comes to immigration matters, she said.
The county will continue to “make sure we are protecting all our citizens,” she told Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood, who interviewed her. That includes helping residents know what resources are available for them and where they can go for assistance.
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Thomas Taylor “has been leading terrifically,” she said. The district has protocols in place concerning what to do if there is an immigration raid at a school, and principals and staff have those protocols.
When asked specifically if Montgomery County was a sanctuary county, Stewart hedged, noting, the definition of a sanctuary county “is broad.” However, she said, “We do not enforce immigration laws in the county…. We really see immigration laws as a federal responsibility.”
The county will continue to work with the federal government when ICE requests someone in the prison system be turned over to that federal body, she said.
Elrich recently received a memorandum from a President Donald Trump political appointee at the U.S. Department of Justice that detailed state and local involvement in federal immigration enforcement, according to Stewart, who did not receive the memorandum.
Maryland’s Attorney General Anthony Brown issued a joint statement along with 10 other state attorneys general concerning the notice Elrich received.
The statement notes, “It is well-established—through longstanding Supreme Court precedent—that the U.S. Constitution prevents the federal government from commandeering states to enforce federal laws. While the federal government may use its own resources for federal immigration enforcement, the court ruled in Printz v. United States that the federal government cannot ‘impress into its service—and at no cost to itself—the police officers of the 50 States.”
Also, while on the radio show, Stewart said, “it would be fairly harmful” if the Trump Administration slashes federal jobs, noting that 75,000 county residents work for the federal government “and that doesn’t include contractors.”
Her job as a councilmember is to focus on “how she can help residents, especially those most impacted” by federal government actions.
Stewart urged anyone who had questions about what to do or where to obtain resources to call 311 for guidance.
