• Bill 3-26, Administration - Immigration Enforcement Guidance - Required (The County Values Act), would require the County Executive to develop and publish certain guidance related to immigration enforcement action at County facilities, require County departments to adopt certain policies consistent with the Executive’s guidance, limit access to certain areas for immigration enforcement, subject to certain conditions, and generally amend the laws regarding County administration and immigration enforcement in the County.
• Bill 5-26, Police - Mask or Facial Coverings - Prohibited (The Unmask ICE Act), would prohibit federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies from wearing masks or facial coverings while on duty in the County, and generally amend the law regarding policing and public safety in the County.

To testify in-person or remotely during a live public hearing at the Council Office Building, residents need to preregister on the Council's web page. Residents may also choose to provide pre-recorded testimony in written, audio or video formats or submit testimony by mail. 

Send testimony by mail to County Council, 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville, MD 20850; or residents may sign up to testify remotely by phone (call 240-777-7803 for information). To express an opinion call 240-777-7900.

Public hearings will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM) on Xfinity channels 6 and 996, RCN channels 6 and 1056; and FiOS channel 30. Also available live via streaming through the Council website, Facebook Live (@MontgomeryCountyMdCouncil or @ConcejodelCondadodeMontgomery), or YouTube (@MoCoCouncilMD).

Maryland General Assembly -  Senate Bill 0245

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/sb0245/?ys=2026rs

January 21, 2026

Sorry, too late to submit testimony but you can watch the hearing online here:

Or, you can click on the statement below and use the email addresses to write to the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee members.

January 19, 2026

January 10, 2026

Montgomery County Council Bill 35-25  -  The "Trust" Act

Promoting Community Trust – Immigrant Protections Act

Montgomery County, Maryland - County Council - Bill 35-25

In July 2019, Marc Elrich’s Executive Order 135-19 was issued as a formal directive affirming and expanding existing County policy limiting local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement and guiding how County agencies interact with immigrant residents. 

This executive order is the foundation for the current legislative effort in Bill 35-25, which aims to codify those policies into County law rather than leave them as an executive-branch directive subject to change with future administrations. 

In short, no county employee can inquire about an individual’s immigration status when that person is applying for county resources. In addition, the order strictly limits local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. 

The Montgomery County Republican Party urges residents who believe in honest budgeting and accountable government to attend the

January 13^th hearing at 1:30 p.m.

At this point there is a wait list to provide personal testimony. But you are also encouraged to submit written testimony asking the Council to pause this measure until the full costs and consequences are disclosed.

Submit Written Testimony Here:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/PHSignUp.html#signup

Read the entire letter from Executive Committee member Stacey Sauter Below:

Why the Republican Party is Against Montgomery County Council Bill 35-25:

Because Compassion Without Accountability Can Be Extremely Expensive

By Stacey Sauter

One of the great virtues of Montgomery County is its diversity and the entrepreneurial spirit that our foreign-born population brings with it. Immigrants have made extraordinary investments here from which all of us have benefited. By and large most people here believe everyone should be treated with fairness, inclusion, and equality under the law. Protecting all residents from discrimination and ensuring government services are delivered with dignity should be a cornerstone of our governance. Those values are not in dispute.

What is at issue is whether the County Council can expand programs and protections for immigrants without being open about the cost, capacity, and consequences for taxpayers and communities already under strain. In July 2019, Marc Elrich’s Executive Order135-19 was issued as a formal directive affirming and expanding existing County policy limiting local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement and guiding how County agencies interact with immigrant residents. In short, no county employee can inquire about an individual’s immigration status when that person is applying for county resources. In addition, the order strictly limits local cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement. This executive order is the foundation for the current legislative effort in Bill 35-25, which aims to codify those policies into County law rather than leave them as an executive-branch directive subject to change with future administrations.

In addition, Bill 35-25 doesn’t just limit future data collection -- it also allows the County to stop retaining and to delete certain immigration-related records, reducing transparency and the public’s ability to understand how and why policies are actually implemented. So, while expedited Bill 35-25, the Promoting Community Trust – Immigrant Protections Act, would significantly expand access to County benefits and services, the bill provides no clear, consolidated accounting of what these services currently cost, how demand may change, or which departments will absorb the impact. That is not a moral question — it is a failure of responsible governance.

Recent history shows why accountability matters. Across the country, seemingly well-intentioned social service programs that lacked meaningful oversight have resulted in massive fraud and abuse — not because compassion is wrong, but because compassion without accountability invites exploitation. Montgomery County should learn from those failures, not repeat them by rushing forward sweeping policies without clear safeguards, transparency, and public reporting. When leaders refuse to show their math, trust erodes, and vulnerable communities are unfairly placed in tension with one another.

Let’s be clear: asking for transparency is not anti-immigrant. Fiscal accountability is not exclusion. Compassion and accountability must go together. The Montgomery County Republican Party urges residents who believe in honest budgeting and accountable government to attend the January 13^th hearing at 1:30 p.m. At this point there is a wait list to provide personal testimony. But you are also encouraged to submit written testimony asking the Council to pause this measure until the full costs and consequences are disclosed. Montgomery County can be welcoming and responsible — but only if transparency comes first.

(https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/PHSignUp.html#signup)

_____________

Stacey Sauter is a former candidate for Delegate (LD15) and a current member of the MCGOP Executive Committee.