COLUMBIA, Md. — Advocates are tracking what they call a current ICE enforcement “surge” across the state.
“We Are Casa”, which has a rapid response hotline (1-888-214-6016) reports it’s received 215 calls and confirms 226 have been detained in the state since July 1.
The areas seeing the most enforcement are: Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and Montgomery County.
But Liedia Garcia, director of health and human services with the organization, says it’s across the board. From the Eastern Shore to Central Maryland.
“It's really difficult just to determine where ICE is,” she said. “Unfortunately, from our own perspective, we're seeing that they're spreading out more widely throughout the state.”
In Howard County, more than 20 reports have come through the hotline in the last two weeks. Notably happening shortly after authorities in Texas arrested Darwin Carcamo-Santiago, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras accused of murdering his girlfriend in Columbia and fleeing late last month.
The organization can confirm 10 have been detained in Howard County during that same time frame.
Last Tuesday, a WMAR-2 News crew observed ICE officers alongside Howard County officers in the Eataliano parking lot on Phelps Luck Drive.
An eyewitness, who did not wish to be identified by name, tells us she saw one man being detained by them.
“It was disturbing,” she said. “It could happen again. It probably will happen again, and this is not the nation that we're built on. This is not what we do. All of this is disgusting and it's unsettling, and it's just not right.”
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Another eyewitness said off camera that a driver they were targeting hit an ICE officer with his vehicle, only weeks after the White House had lifted a ban on all traffic stops.
Howard County police say they’re investigating a pedestrian who was struck at the scene, but did not confirm nor deny the witness’s statements identifying the person hit as an immigration enforcement officer.
A DHS spokesperson did not confirm any details about the case, telling WMAR-2 News in a statement that it “does not discuss ongoing or future operations”. They also said that “ICE is targeting criminal illegal aliens” and provided a handful of detainees arrested in Maryland accused of crimes ranging from homicide to sex offenses. None were arrested in Baltimore City, Baltimore County or Howard County, and it’s unclear when they were detained.
Neither Howard County nor its police department is tracking enforcement operations within county limits independently, like neighboring Montgomery County, which launched last month.
Garcia says they don’t know the reason why enforcement appears to be increasing, but the organization continues to connect families with legal and wrap-around services as they are needed.
“We want to encourage families to be prepared. We have seen a lot of cases where unfortunately, this happened, and now they're facing a lot of financial hardship. They don't have documentation in place that can help us,” she said.
She also encourages those reporting to the hotline to be specific in detail, such as location, how many are being detained, or information they hear on the scene (such as a person’s name), while being careful themselves.
