STATEMENT BY COUNCILMAN WADE KACH REGARDING THE TABLING OF BILL 32-17 ON IMMIGRATION

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In response to the County Executive’s Executive Order on Immigration, Councilmember Crandell and I co-sponsored legislation that would help reverse the adverse consequences of that order.

I am very disappointed to report that “32-17 Department of Corrections – Duties” failed to gain passage at last night’s Baltimore County Council Voting Session.  The legislation would mandate that an adequate number of investigating officers employed at the Baltimore County Detention Center be trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (in conjunction with section 286 G of the ICE regulations) on the most effective way to question individuals, in regard to immigration status, who have been charged with a crime.

An inflamed political environment and unwillingness by the majority of the Council to improve the situation, precipitated by the County Executive’s Executive Order regarding Immigration, made it very difficult to properly vet this legislation.

Let me point out, that in many of my phone conversations with constituents who were critical of the bill, there was at least agreement that those who commit repeated or serious crimes who happen to be undocumented, need to be sent back to their country of origin.

Yet, the legislation was “tabled” preventing any effort to amend the proposal to, at least, address the more serious offenders.

Going forward, my colleagues and I will continue engaging with the other members of the council with the aim of forging an informed consensus on this issue.

~ Wade