JOHN MYRICK FOR GOVERNOR BRENDA J. THIAM FOR LT. GOVERNOR
Post Office Box 25, Bowie, MD 20719-0025
Politicians talk about problems; We solve problems.
January 22nd, 2026
The Montgomery County Council’s efforts to virtue signal through legislation does a huge disservice to the citizens of Montgomery County. Two bills have been recently introduced that will do nothing but waste the Council’s valuable time and potentially cost the county millions of Dollars in Federal aid.
The first of these ridiculous bills is named The County Values Act, Bill 3-26, led by Councilmember Kristen Mink (District 5). This bill aims to prohibit ICE Agents from entering Montgomery County buildings without a judicial warrant, and further attempts to restrict their access to everything from buildings to garages to public spaces. The introduction of such a worthless piece of legislation shows that Councilmember Mink has absolutely no understanding of immigration or federal law. U.S. immigration law does not require ICE Agents to have a judicial warrant to apprehend Unlawful Aliens. Immigration law is considered an Administrative Proceeding and is very different from criminal law. Administrative Warrants (Form I-200/I-205), issued and signed by immigration officials within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), authorize an officer to arrest an individual for immigration violations. Judicial Warrants, traditionally, have only been required to enter a private residence to apprehend. But even this interpretation has recently been changed and will most likely require the Federal Courts to render a decision. Furthermore, no lesser jurisdiction (such as a State or County) can impede ICE agents from executing these Administrative Warrants, and any effort to do so could be viewed as Obstruction of an Official Proceeding (18 U.S.C. § 1505) – a Felony. Lastly, the county has no legal authority to prohibit ICE Agents from access to parking garages, county buildings, or other public spaces. This is just plain silly and has no basis in law.
The second bill is The Unmask ICE Act, Bill 5-26, led by Councilmember Will Jawando (At Large), would prohibit masking by all law enforcement operating in Montgomery County – including ICE – with exceptions for public health and key operational needs. Not only does this bill not define what constitutes “key operational needs,” the county has absolutely no authority over a Federal Law Enforcement Agency’s policies and practices.
In short, Montgomery County doesn’t have the authority to keep ICE from carrying out their federally-mandated responsibilities, nor do they have the authority to dictate policies and procedures to any Federal agency. Montgomery County, as well as the cities of Rockville and Takoma Park, are scheduled to have all Federal funding withheld starting on February 1st, 2026 as a result of their designations as Sanctuary Jurisdictions. These funds are critical to providing needed services to the residents of Montgomery County. Apparently, these elected officials don’t care about federal funding, or about the impact on your daily lives that the lack of these funds will have. Bills such as these two will only further exacerbate the situation and bring more Federal scrutiny on the county. Perhaps it’s time to tell your elected Montgomery County officials to stop with the virtue signaling and to remember for whom they work – YOU1
Website: johnmyrickformdgovernor.org
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