WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. -- On Monday night, roughly two dozen people came together to protest a potential 287(g) agreement. Concerns over the proposed agreement surfaced a few weeks ago, but this time, those worries echoed through downtown Salisbury rather than council chambers.
Chants of "say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here" and "no 287(g)!" rang out from the crowd as they made their stance crystal clear.
"This program does not make us safer, it forces our local police to become ICE agents, as I call them, mass vigilantes," said Monica Brooks, President of the Wicomico County NAACP.
Protesters were lockstep in their use of signs and words to convey their message.
"The 287(g) program isn't about safety, it's about fear and control," said Lana Foley with Crabs on the Shore.
"Ever since this thing about ICE has started, we have seen nothing but chaos, stress," said Reverend Roosevelt Toussaint, Executive Director of the Haitian Development Center of Delmarva.
And Monday's crowd said they do not want that fear and stress heightened, so they are urging county officials to back off talks with ICE.
As of right now, however, county leaders have not indicated plans to do that.
County Executive Julie Giordano, who's office has been at the forefront of arranging this agreement, along with the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office, did provide us with the following statement on Monday:
"I want to be very clear—no Memorandum of Understanding has been signed regarding the 287(g) Warrant Service Officer model, and none will be signed until after our scheduled work session with the County Council at the first meeting in October.This initiative was brought forward by the Sheriff of Wicomico County, and as County Executive, my role is to play a supporting role in this process. Entering into the 287(g) program is about public safety. It will not involve targeting anyone on the street — it is strictly focused on individuals who go through our jail system. This has been reiterated numerous times in the past, and I will continue to make sure it is understood.We want to ensure the Council and the public have a full opportunity to review and discuss this proposal before any final decisions are made."