In a statement on the list of included jurisdictions in Montgomery County in Sanctuary Jurisdiction, County Administrator Marc Elrich accused the Trump administration of seeking to criminalize immigration and "causing fear."
President Donald Trump issued an executive order asking for a list of asylum jurisdictions. The department noted in a post on X that DHS released the list Thursday.
"We will not violate federal law and will not change based on political headlines. Montgomery County has been working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cases involving violent crimes, serious felony crimes and threats to open security. This is our policy."
Sources said
Left: President Donald J. Trump attended the arrival ceremony of Amiri Diwan, the formal workplace of Emir in Doha, Qatar on May 14, 2025; Right: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich was held at the inauguration of the 20th County Council at the Montgomery County Executive and the 20th County Council at the Strasmore Music Center on December 5, 2022 in Bethesda, Maryland. (Left: Win McNamee/Getty Images; For: Ricky Carioti/Washington Post via Getty Images)
"This designation, like many other actions taken by this administration, is about criminalizing immigration rather than protecting public safety. We will differently stigmatize or target our immigrant communities," the Democrats declared. "These types of announcements are intended to cause fear. However, we are not dominated by the fear of Montgomery County. We are held accountable by the law and values."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced in a press release earlier this month that MS-13 members arrested an MS-13 member, noting that multiple instances of the Montgomery County Detention Center failed to commemorate individuals over the years, including last month.
The release of Salvadoran National Nelson Vladimir Amaya-Benitez, “The Montgomery County Circuit Court in Rockville ruled that Amaya, who attempted to steal, attempted to steal a motor vehicle, sentenced him to three years in prison.” “On April 18, the Montgomery County Detention Center once again refused to memorialize Ice’s immigration detention center and released Amaya from custody.”
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Ben Stevenson, director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at Montgomery County, admitted “mistake.”
"Due to previous felony convictions and validation of gang membership in the DOCR record, we meet the criteria we use to inform and coordinate with the ICE. We failed to issue this notice. We assume full responsibility for this error," he said in a statement. "Montgomery County has been saying that we work with ICE in cases involving violent crimes, verified gang members, drug distributors and traffickers and other felony convicted individuals. The policy remains."
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"We fooled us. We didn't make a policy decision to let this person go," Elrich said in a media briefing.
The Trump administration’s goal is to suppress illegal immigration and attempt to evacuate many from the country after a large number of people flowed through the U.S. border during President Joe Biden.