Defunding the police over aiding ICE

BEL AIR, Md. — Without notification, with no public input, a line-item amendment in the Maryland Senate’s proposed budget puts $124 million in state funding at risk for local law enforcement agencies if they can’t prove they’re no longer working with ICE, and Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler is no longer surprised by the anti-fervor in Maryland’s state capitol.

“Sadly, no, it’s not surprising that, once again, we’ve got bad ideas coming out of Annapolis that are pro-criminal, that are anti-public safety, that are to the detriment of the citizens that we serve,” said the sheriff.

Gahler has used the progam for a decade now and points out that it originated as a measure promoted when a democrat was in the White House.

“It’s why the presidential election went, whether you agree with it or disagree with it, it’s why the citizens voted to secure the border and to keep our community safe,” added Gahler, “and yet Annapolis wants to hear the opposite message of that community, because we want to support criminal, illegal immigration. It’s insanity.”

 Threats to withhold state funding not only impact local law enforcement agencies, but also their respective counties since they’re the ones that actually have to approve budgets.

 Public safety is already one of their largest expenses, and Harford County Executive Robert Cassilly says defunding the police could upset the combined efforts of federal, state and local law enforcers, which are needed to insure public safety.

“Anything you do that retards that level of collaboration is really misplaced,” said Cassilly, “and here in Harford County, we know that better than anybody where we’ve had two very tragic murders here of young women by illegal aliens and so I really would encourage the General Assembly, ‘Don’t go down that route. You’ve already gone too far. Let’s stop. Let’s stop, because the damage is there.’”