U.S. Rep. Glenn Ivey (District 4) and some Prince George’s County councilmembers are pushing for new laws to restrict how federal immigration agents operate in the state and county.
At two separate meetings this week, leaders called the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a danger to residents.
The congressman 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 are also planning restrictions.
County Councilmember Tom Dernoga (District 1) said at a listening session Feb. 3 that he plans to introduce a bill in February that would make people employed by ICE ineligible for law enforcement 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.
Council Chair Krystal 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.