This bill would stop the Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), from establishing, operating, expanding, or reopening any immigration detention or holding facility in Washington County, Maryland. It also forbids any funds appropriated or otherwise made available to covered agencies from being used for those purposes. The bill defines detention or holding facilities to include places used primarily for civil detention of noncitizens, whether run directly by the federal government or through contracts, intergovernmental service agreements, or private entities. It allows certain parties to bring a case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to seek declaratory and injunctive relief enforcing the ban.
If enacted, DHS and ICE could not build, open, expand, or run immigrant detention or holding facilities in Washington County. Federal funds could not be spent on those activities there. The bill gives standing to any Washington County resident, the county government, a Member of Congress, or the State of Maryland to sue in federal court to enforce the prohibition.
The bill explicitly prohibits covered agencies from obligating or expending funds to establish or operate these facilities in Washington County. No publicly available information on estimated budgetary costs or savings appears in the bill text or metadata.
The bill's findings state that immigration detention facilities can have lasting impacts on local public health, housing, infrastructure, and services; that ICE has detained many people without regard for due process; that conditions in ICE facilities are inhumane; that detained noncitizens are routinely denied medical care, access to counsel, and family visitation; and that land-use and community development are matters of local concern that deserve community input. The findings also note Washington County residents and local officials raised concerns about siting a federal detention facility in their community.
No publicly available information.