Montgomery County committees unanimously advance 'Promoting Community Trust and Immigrant Protection Act' to full council

At a joint session of Montgomery County's Government Operations and Fiscal Policy and Public Safety committees, members voted unanimously to advance Expedited Bill 35-25, the Promoting Community Trust and Immigrant Protection Act, to the full County Council.

The bill, presented by council staff, is designed to codify County Executive Order 135.19 (2019) and to ensure residents — including immigrant communities — can interact with county departments without fear that information will be used for civil immigration enforcement. Ms. Wellens, a council staff presenter, said the measure "would restrict county employees or departments from inquiring about individuals' immigration status, unless required by law, judicial order, or international treaty." She added the proposal is intended to prevent threats or discrimination based on immigration status and to stop conditioning county services on status.

Key provisions explained by staff include a prohibition on county employees or departments from arresting, stopping, or detaining individuals for federal civil immigration purposes while preserving county authority to enforce the criminal law. The Department of Corrections would be barred from notifying immigration officials of an individual's impending release for civil immigration enforcement, except in limited circumstances that comply with valid judicial warrants; staff said notification could occur no earlier than 36 hours before release for people convicted of certain enumerated violent crimes.

The bill would also require county offices that accept Maryland-issued photo identification as proof of identity to accept comparable photo IDs issued by another country or by a nonprofit approved by the chief administrative officer. Ms. Wellens said departments would review privacy policies, applications and questionnaires to remove unnecessary questions about immigration status.

On access to facilities, staff said the measure aligns with recently passed state legislation, noting Maryland House Bill 1222 (2025) defines "sensitive locations" such as libraries, schools and health-care facilities; the county proposal would extend warrant-only limits on entry by civil immigration agents to private spaces inside other county buildings.

Ms. Wellens described two staff-recommended technical amendments intended to clarify internal consistency and records-retention language; the committees adopted those amendments unanimously by raised hands. The committees then voted unanimously to forward the bill, with the adopted technical amendments, to the full council for consideration.

Luisa Cardona, ACAO, told the committees the executive branch supports the legislation and is prepared to provide updated training, pocket guides and signage for county staff, saying the bill "codifies what is existing practice" and that the county is ready to implement changes once the measure passes.

Council Member Lukey, participating remotely and listed as a co-sponsor, expressed support for the bill but raised a question about recent news reports that the federal government purchased land in Washington County for a proposed holding facility. Lukey asked whether such a purchase could make the site a federal enclave exempt from county law; Ms. Wellens responded that any such situation would require a case-by-case legal review with the county attorney and noted the county cannot prevent the federal government from purchasing private land.

The joint committees concluded their single-item agenda after the unanimous votes and adjourned. The full Montgomery County Council will consider the bill at a later date.