Prince George’s County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy has signed an order banning detention centers, bolstering Maryland Democrats’ efforts to thwart the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Elected Democrats in the county, an urban suburb of Washington, blasted Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s treatment of detained migrants.
“The disregard for human life will not be tolerated in Prince George’s County,” Ms. Braveboy said during a signing ceremony last week. “Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”
“The animal shelters in Prince George’s County are better maintained than the ICE detention centers,” added Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democrat representing the county.
More than 1 in 4 people in Prince George’s County are foreign-born, with African and Hispanic migrants making up a large share.
Describing the county as “a diverse and vibrant community,” Ms. Braveboy’s order cites a recent trend of ICE acquiring properties nationwide for enforcement.
It defines detention centers as “any secure facility that requires the occupants to be held under restraint or security on a temporary basis” pending a hearing or trial.
The Washington Times reached out to ICE for comment.
In an emailed statement on the order, the White House blasted “dangerous, untrue smears by elected Democrats” for contributing to a 1,300% increase in assaults on ICE officers.
“Just the other day, an officer had his finger bitten off by a radical left-wing rioter,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman. “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities, and local officials should work with them, not against them. Anyone doing otherwise is simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens.”
Ms. Braveboy’s order comes as officials in Annapolis, Maryland, have scrambled to block ICE from opening a detention center in another part of the deep-blue Old Line State.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown filed a lawsuit Monday that seeks to prevent the federal agency from converting a large warehouse in Williamsport, located in rural western Maryland.
The complaint argues that ICE disregarded environmental regulations and related safety, financial and public health concerns when it purchased the warehouse last month.
Mr. Brown has accused ICE of wanting to ship and store migrants “like Amazon Prime” handles packages.
At the signing ceremony on Thursday, Prince George’s County officials also unveiled a new logo to designate public buildings, garages and parking lots as “safe spaces” for migrants to avoid arrest.
“We want residents to know, do not be afraid,” said Wala Blegay, a county council member. “We are here to help you.”
In December 2023, the county council reported that immigration drove Prince George’s population from 885,000 people in 2014 to more than 908,000 in 2019.
“In fact, absent immigration, Prince George’s County would have shrunk by nearly 1,000 people,” the report noted, emphasizing the importance of immigration to the county’s economy.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.
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