What started as a discussion on the various arms of immigration enforcement nearly spiraled into a shouting match Thursday as advocates and some elected officials pleaded with a federal agent to “be kinder” when interacting with the immigration community.
“Your agents are terrorizing our communities,” said Baltimore City Councilmember Odette Ramos, “What you are doing is racial profiling.”
Ramos was addressing Nikita Baker, director of the Baltimore Field Office with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who was part of a panel on immigration and deportation policy at the Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City.
The panel, called “Clearing the Air on Immigration: Compliance Standards for Local Governments,” aimed to help officials understand the various cogs of the immigration system, as President Donald Trump (R) has been pushing ICE agents to increase deportation efforts.
Some local and state officials have expressed confusion on what is required of them regarding immigration enforcement, as many officials are looking to protect as many people in the immigrant community as possible.
The panel heard from Warden Daniel Galbraith of the Harford County Detention Center, which has 287(g) agreement with the federal government to help facilitate detainment processes. The panel also included Del. Nicole Williams (D-Prince George’s), who talked about her bill that prompted the the attorney general to issue guidance for how “sensitive locations,” such as schools and churche,s should comply with ICE agents; and Julia Cortina of the National Association of Counties, who discussed federal court cases and policies NACo is watching to help county officials comply with federal immigration enforcement.
But when it came to the question-and-answer session, all questions were directed at Baker.
Ramos’ question lasted four minutes and raised concerns about how ICE agents were conducting business in her jurisdiction, including conditions in ICE detention facilities, frustrations about ICE agents wearing masks and detaining people from common community spaces such as grocery stores.
“Why is it that the agents are operating in this manner, very violent, picking up our people … masked and not identifying yourself?” she asked. “It is really abhorrent that this is happening.”
“I am asking you to resist. I am asking you to stop doing this,” Ramos said, to applause from the audience.
Baker said her ICE agents are identifiable.
“All my officers clearly are identified. They all wear their vests … they all have their badges on them, they all wear body cameras, so they are readily identifiable,” she said. “As far as masks go, some of our officers wear them, some of them do not.”
“All of them do,” Ramos interjected, as other audience member chimed in, asking, “Why are they wearing them?” and, “Do you want to see videos?”
At that point, Del. Ashanti Martinez (D-Prince George’s), who was moderating the panel, stepped in and reminded the room to remain respectful.
“There’s a lot of emotions. There should be – this is about our neighbors and our communities, right?” he said. “That’s why we’re in Ocean City to talk about these things – we’re not just here for the beach.
“But in order to get these conversations out, we’ve got to listen to each other, even if you don’t like what you’re hearing,” he said, passing the question on to the next person. Ramos then left the room.
Prince George’s County Councilmember Eric Olson asked how ICE agents are supposed to operate in school settings. He said agents gather near schools, making families nervous.
“What’s the legitimate law enforcement activity going on there?” he asked. “Because to me, it certainly seems like intimidation … and harassment. People are afraid to go to school.”
Baker said that officers may hang around a school because they are looking for someone that is nearby.
“I have no issue with them trying to catch somebody in the area, but we’re not there to scare parents from taking their kids to school,” she said.
Ninfa Amador-Hernandez, policy manager with immigration advocacy group CASA, asked for justification on why some individuals without criminal histories were targeted by ICE. She listed high-profile cases such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was arrested by ICE agents in Maryland earlier this year and wrongfully deported to El Salvador due to what the Trump administration admits was an “administrative error.”
“We keep seeing individuals like them getting swept off our streets,” Amador-Hernandez said. “How will you ensure … to not engage in indiscriminate family separation with no clear-cut enforcement priorities, since that is something that the (Trump) administration has not done?”
Baker said her agents can into custody, “Anybody who is here, unlawfully present” but that they focus “on taking in the worst first. And then while I am doing those enforcement actions, and I come across somebody that is not a criminal … but they’re here illegally, they have no status, I am going to take those individuals into custody.”
“But you’re taking people with status,” Ninfa said.
Baker tried to say ICE is not detaining people who have legal status to be present in the U.S., but the audience started to get riled up again, making snide remarks about her reply. Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) stepped up to ask a question before tensions boiled over.
“I know this is not easy,” she said to Baker. “I thank you for being here, knowing what the room feels like. I am going to speak with you heart to heart, in a humane way.
“I know you have to do your job, but do you have to do it in a manner where windows are broken in a car, where they’re doing it in front of small children that are in a car seat?” she asked.
“Can you tell your officers to be humane? Be respectful? Because we are lacking empathy right now in this country,” Peña-Melnyk said. “Can you at least go back to your office and tell them to be kinder? Can you do that?”
“My job is to enforce the law,” Baker responded. “But I understand where you’re coming from, and I appreciate your feedback.”
