The Baltimore County Green Party strongly supports Baltimore County Executive Kamenetz’s executive order

Myles Hoenig

May 2, 2017 

In the political climate we are living in now, immigrants, with or without legal documentation, live day by day in fear of detention and/or deportation. As it is with all immigrants throughout the country, their involvement in the judicial system is either equal to or less than that of the general population. They pose no more a threat than any other person. As productive members of society, they contribute to its tax revenues and the county’s well-being.      

The bill (32-17) calls for the allocation of sufficient funds, including personnel and other necessary resources, to implement the Immigration and Nationality Act Section 287(G) Program which aids ICE agents the deportation of undocumented immigrants.

If the police are here to serve and protect the residents of the county, it should not be their responsibility to create a climate of fear and suspicion among the population as well as towards the police themselves. Employing them as agents of ICE, in order to round up undocumented immigrants, is contrary to what one would expect of a local constabulary.

Additionally, immigration is a heated political issue today and the proposed legislation in the County Council only adds fuel to the fire, and creates more divisions within the society. The effect is to target a minority that plays into the hands of white supremacists whose ideology has become commonplace throughout the country and into the White House.

For more on the executive order:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-co-immigration-order-20170405-story.html