Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has begun a nationwide campaign to deport undocumented immigrants. Montgomery County is no exception. Despite the fact that there have been no reported major raids in the county, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has announced dozens of arrests in Montgomery County, including several MCPS students.
There have been reports of ICE activity around schools at drop-off and pickup times, leading to some undocumented students not going to school out of fear of being detained, yet there have not been any reported ICE raids at schools so far. There have not been any official numbers released from MCPS, but other school districts across the country, such as Orange County, CA, have estimated that thousands of students have dropped out due to fear of deportation. Additionally, a Stanford University Study found a 22% drop in enrollment in California school districts under pressure from ICE, a phenomenon that might very well be replicated in MoCo.
County officials have attempted to take a middle path between sanctuary cities that have a zero cooperation policy with ICE and states like Texas that have collaborated closely. County Executive Mark Elrich signed an executive order in July that prevented county officials from asking for immigration status. In a press release, Elrich stated the goal was to “allow vulnerable groups to continue to interact with Montgomery County officials.” However, Montgomery County has continued to share information with ICE through the state of Maryland. According to the ICE website, Montgomery County transferred two undocumented immigrants who had been charged with felonies to the Department of Homeland Security.
It’s unclear how far the Trump Administration’s deportation campaign will go, but there is no question; it has already drastically affected Montgomery County and its community.
