By JALEN WADE, SHARON O’MALLEY and KIT SLACK

U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (Maryland District 4) and some state and county lawmakers representing this area are pushing to restrict how federal immigration agents operate.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a law on Feb. 17 prohibiting local law enforcement officers from making agreements to do civil immigration enforcement for the federal government.  

That law was sponsored by Maryland Delegate Nicole Williams, who represents District 22, which includes Hyattsville. Williams has been advocating for it since last spring. 

At separate meetings in February, other local leaders called the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a danger to residents.

Ivey spoke to 14,000 people during a virtual town hall Feb. 5. He said ICE agents should have to follow the same rules as local police.

Specifically, Ivey said he wants all ICE agents to wear body cameras. He said they should no longer be allowed to wear masks or hide their identities, and they should be required to have judicial warrants before searching any area.

“The ICE agents are trying to be masked and as secretive as possible,” Ivey said. “We’ve got to change that.”

County leaders have drafted at least six legislative proposals intended to defend county residents from ICE, all co-sponsored by Council Chair Krystal Oriadha. 

Councilmember Eric Olson, who represents District 3, which includes College Park, is working with Oriadha on legislation on prohibiting facial coverings for ICE agents, promoting county police verification of ICE agents’ identities and denying ICE access to county buildings, parks and libraries for civil immigration enforcement. 

County Councilmember Wanika Fisher, who represents District 2, which includes Hyattsville, is sponsoring a bill that would require the county to work with a nonprofit to develop a list of county residents potentially in ICE custody, for purposes of protecting their civil liberties. 

County Councilmember Tom Dernoga,who represents District 1, which includes Laurel and part of College Park, announced in February that he intends to introduce a bill to make people employed by ICE after June 30, 2025 ineligible for jobs in county government.

Dernoga’s proposal aligns with a larger state-level push known as the ICE Breaker Act of 2026. Sponsored by state Del. Adrian Boafo (District 23), the bill would permanently bar anyone who joined ICE as a sworn officer after Jan. 20, 2025, from holding a job with any state law enforcement agency in Maryland in the future.

 Oriadha said her team is reviewing ICE-related legislation across the country. She said she wants to protect residents even if proposed new laws are legally challenged.

“I told them, even if it could be legally challenged, we are going to push the envelope as far as we can,” Oriadha said.

Ivey argued that the state should prosecute ICE agents for crimes. He said this is important because a president cannot pardon people for state-level offenses.

“We think if there’s more accountability, there’ll be better conduct,” Ivey said.

At a third meeting on Feb. 5, Prince George’s County Police Commander James Keleti of  Hyattsville Division 1 reminded a small crowd of College Park residents that county police do not enforce immigration laws.

“That’s the responsibility of the federal government,” Keleti said.