As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, his administration is gearing up to implement a key campaign promise: cracking down on immigration.
“The invasion of our borders will end and the restoration of our sovereignty will begin,” Trump said. “Immediately, criminals pouring into our country from countries all over the world, that will stop immediately.”
Local immigration officials, however, are still awaiting details on the new policies and procedures. Maryland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director told FOX45 that the agency expects to receive official direction from the White House sometime next week.
Patty Morin, the mother of Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five reportedly killed by an undocumented immigrant in Harford County, expressed her approval of Trump’s swift action.
“Knowing they’re targeting illegal criminal aliens as their first priority just makes the American people feel safer and to be able to rest in their own homes,” Morin said.
Meanwhile, some elected leaders in Maryland are preparing to resist the incoming administration’s immigration policies. Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman emphasized the importance of welcoming immigrants.
“I believe that it is very important to welcome immigrants,” Pittman said.
Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor echoed this sentiment, stating, “We refuse to aid and abet outside agencies attempting to detain, deport, or remove any residents from our community.”
Several Democratic leaders across the state have vowed to withhold cooperation with ICE and block what they describe as “mass deportations.”
Betsy Smith of the National Police Association warned that a lack of cooperation with federal immigration law could have serious consequences.
“They’re not going to be able to ignore federal immigration law,” Smith said. “The federal government will prevail because it is against the law to harbor people who are in this country illegally.”
Smith also cautioned that Maryland’s public safety and federal funding could be at risk.
“The federal funding will ultimately dry up, and they’re going to be stuck supporting these massive amounts of illegal aliens, including the thousands that are criminals,” Smith said. “And it’s going to create an untenable situation for the leadership and for the communities.”
