Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Immigration Detention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Howard County hearing draws broad support for emergency bills to bar private ICE detention sites
Summary
Dozens of residents, students, faith leaders and elected officials testified at an emergency Howard County Council hearing in support of two emergency bills: CB16, which would prohibit permitting privately owned detention centers, and CB17, which would strengthen county guidance and limits on immigration enforcement activity at county property. A final council vote is set for Feb. 5.
County Executive Calvin Ball urged the Howard County Council to pass emergency legislation that would stop private companies from converting commercial buildings into immigration-detention facilities and to strengthen county guidance for interactions between county staff and federal immigration authorities.
"Council Bill 16 is emergency legislation which would prohibit the permitting of private detention facilities in Howard County," Ball said during an evening public hearing, describing a privately owned office building in Elkridge that county and community leaders say was being renovated for ICE-related detention use.
The administration also supports CB17, Ball said, which would require the county to publish guidance on immigration enforcement at county facilities, limit access to certain nonpublic areas, and require training for county personnel so employees know how to respond when immigration agents are present. Ball framed the bills as protecting public safety and human dignity while preserving the rule of law.
Federal and state officials joined local speakers in endorsing the measures. U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, appearing virtually, told the council she supported CB16 and warned of national enforcement trends and oversight problems in ICE custody. "In 2025, 25 people died in ICE facilities while in custody," Elfreth said, and added that the toll had continued into 2026, remarks she offered as context for local action. Maryland Delegate Ashanti Martinez and Senator Clarence Lam also voiced support.
Students and a steady stream of community speakers framed the bills as a common-sense public-safety and human-rights step. Gavin Falcone, a high-school student and student council leader, told the council that "detention is an extraordinary power that should be delegated to entities whose primary obligation is public responsibility, public standards, and public oversight." Community organizations, faith leaders and immigration-advocacy groups urged passage and recommended additional local supports, such as legal assistance and reporting hotlines.
Speakers cited specific permit activity and enforcement concerns. Testimony from residents and community organizers stated that the building in Elkridge had been purchased in 2023, a commercial permit had been issued in August 2025, and that renovations had progressed before county inspectors later revoked the permit, testimony that multiple speakers said justified emergency action to close local permitting loopholes.
Not everyone focused solely on bans. A councilmember raised an amendment aimed at tightening siting rules (for example, barring detention centers near health-care facilities, schools and retail) and questioned the county's potential fiscal exposure if outside parties had already invested in the property. Ball and his staff said preliminary conversations with county departments had occurred and promised continued coordination with HR and the Office of Law; they emphasized the emergency bill would allow rapid, temporary action while staff work through details.
Legal and policy experts who testified included representatives of the Maryland State Bar AssociationImmigration Law Section, who supported CB16 on human-rights and due-process grounds and noted national increases in detention capacity that some witnesses said are not matched by demonstrated need in the region.
The council did not vote during the hearing. Council leadership announced a final emergency legislative session to consider both bills on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Banneker Room. Officials encouraged those unable to testify to submit written comments by email; a community bill-signing was also scheduled for the following Friday morning.
Whathappened next: the council will take final action at the scheduled Feb. 5 session. If passed, CB16 would amend the Howard County building code to restrict permitting and operation of privately owned detention centers; CB17 would create county guidance and procedural limits on county facilities and employee interactions with civil immigration enforcement. The hearing produced extensive testimony in favor and several suggestions for strengthening the measures, including proposals for expanded moratoria or additional reporting and legal-support mechanisms. The council and county executive said they plan continued interdepartmental work on implementation details ahead of the vote.
