WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- At Tuesday night's county council meeting, about three dozen people spoke out against a proposed agreement with ICE. County leaders began investigating the idea in July.
In the months since, several organizations have raised concerns, a lot of which were outlined in a recent press release from The Wicomico Coalition.
Many of the worries featured in that press release were heard at Tuesday's meeting, discussing how the proposed 287(g) agreement could open up the door for racial profiling, wrongful arrests and lawsuits.
"Do we have to make an effort to align ourselves with the devil?" asked Monica Brooks, President of the Wicomico County NAACP.
This is by no means a done deal, but Brooks said that's exactly why this is the best chance for people, including herself, to speak up.
"Think about the message that you want to send to the community at large, where your priorities lie," said Brooks. "Do they lie with the plans of the federal government? Or do they lie with the citizens of Wicomico County?"
Brooks, along with the ACLU, other civil rights groups, legal advocates, faith leaders and public health partners, is urging the county council to reject the proposal.
Wicomico County Council President John Cannon said their opposition is being considered.
"I can understand the concerns of citizens, I get that," said Cannon. "But I think, again, it's important to make sure that the citizens are fully informed as to what the role of the local jurisdiction is going to be."
Through the 287(g) agreement, that role would be jail enforcement.
"When that role turns out to be the processing of illegal immigrants, I think they might feel more at ease regarding that and the fact that, no, the deputies are not going to be in the streets and they're not going to be in the schools," said Cannon.
We asked Brooks if that eases any concerns. She said it does not and that she, along with those other previously mentioned groups, wants Wicomico County to back out of talks with ICE.
On Wednesday, we reached out to Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano, who has been in charge of any talks regarding this proposed agreement.
She tells WBOC she does not believe the council would have the power to reject this proposal. However, she will speak with Wicomico County Sheriff Mike Lewis on Thursday to determine if the county still wants to pursue this.