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Takoma Park residents press council to adopt stronger resolution against federal immigration enforcement tactics
Summary
Dozens of residents and faith leaders urged the Takoma Park City Council to upgrade its recent statement on federal immigration enforcement to a formal resolution, pressing for measures such as support for the county Trust Act, protections for residents’ data and requiring federal agents to display identification and warrants.
Dozens of residents, faith leaders and grassroots organizers urged the Takoma Park City Council on Jan. 14 to convert a recent council statement into a stronger, publicly debated resolution opposing aggressive federal immigration enforcement.
Speakers at a packed public-comment period, including Karen Elrich and David Reed, said the city’s existing statement condemning the ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Goode did not go far enough and asked the council to transmit a formal resolution to county and state officials. “In this moment, we choose solidarity over silence, care over violence, community over fear,” said Karen Elrich, urging more community training and rapid-response planning.
Mayor Searcy and several council members noted prior steps the city has already taken: council members described distributing translated “red cards” with know-your-rights information, hosting trainings and, earlier in November, allocating $50,000 from the city’s unassigned reserve to organizations providing supportive services to immigrant families. “We have very limited legal recourse to stop a federal agency from doing what they are legally allowed to do,” the mayor said, while listing actions the city can take to protect residents, including working with the District 20 delegation.
Council member Jessica Landman, who circulated a draft resolution, said its purpose is to coalesce community sentiment and provide a vehicle to speak “with the heart of the community” and to update the language to reflect recent federal and state developments. Public commenters and several council members requested that any resolution explicitly call for: support for Montgomery County’s Trust Act; state protections limiting local law-enforcement participation in 287(g); requiring warrants and visible identification from federal agents; and protections for residents’ personal data.
Council members broadly expressed sympathy and support for stronger language but differed about process and immediate next steps. Several urged a public, community-informed drafting process and asked staff to explore how a resolution might be framed to both send a clear message and preserve any limited local legal tools. The council did not vote on a resolution at the meeting but agreed to continue the conversation and to consider a public process to draft or refine the text.
Next steps: council members said they will follow up with staff on community engagement options and legislative transmittal procedures for a possible resolution and will continue coordinating with county and state partners.
