Editor’s note: This story was originally published at 11:43 a.m. on May 30, 2025. It was updated at 3:23 p.m. on May 30, 2025 to include a statement from Council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and the County Council.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) is defending the county’s immigration policies and compliance with federal law after the county was listed as a sanctuary jurisdiction by President Donald Trump – which could lead to a loss of federal funding.
“We are not in violation of federal law, and we will not be making changes based on political headlines. Montgomery County has always cooperated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cases involving violent crimes, serious felonies, and threats to public safety,” Elrich wrote in a press release Thursday night. “That has been and remains our policy.”
A list released Thursday evening by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security names hundreds of counties, cities and towns across the country as “sanctuary jurisdictions.” Each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its “non-compliance with federal statutes,” according to the department. The list does not compel the jurisdictions to take any specific actions or list a specific consequence.
However, according to the list, the Department of Homeland Security “demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with Federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.”
In April, Trump signed an executive order pledging to freeze federal funding for any jurisdiction his administration deems a “sanctuary city.”
This list was compiled following that order and includes eight counties and 11 cities and towns in Maryland. Rockville and Takoma Park are also listed, but the latter was misspelled as “Tacoma Park” in the list.
Rockville Mayor Monique Ashford and Takoma Park Mayor Talisha Searcy did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Bethesda Today on Friday morning.
According to Elrich, the county is in compliance with Trump’s executive order.
“Executive Order 135-19, which governs our interaction with federal immigration enforcement, has been legally reviewed and upheld by two Maryland Attorneys General—Brian Frosh and Anthony Brown—and we have consistently followed it,” Elrich said in the release. “Now that we are officially listed, we will carefully review the federal government’s explanation for its criteria, what it is asking jurisdictions to do, and what the consequences are for not complying.”
Elrich said that review will be conducted in consultation with county public safety leadership, the Montgomery County Attorney’s Office, the County Council, the Office of the Maryland Attorney General and the office of Gov. Wes Moore (D), as well as neighboring jurisdictions that have been listed.
“The Montgomery County Council is closely following the many actions of the Trump Administration, including the recently released list of ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’. We are working with the County Executive and our state and municipal partners to coordinate our response once more is understood about the criteria and consequences to the County’s name on this list,” County Council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) said in statement on behalf of the council Friday. “The County Council has repeatedly emphasized upholding our values and our commitment to support the rights of our residents in our diverse community, most recently adopting a $7.6 billion operating budget and addressing our community needs.”
Montgomery County has never declared itself a sanctuary county, a point that Elrich has frequently repeated. According to the website for the county’s public information office, county policy is to not inquire “about anyone’s immigration status, nor does the county conduct any immigration enforcement or investigations.”
Jason Cokinos, commander of the county police department’s Third District, reiterated the policy during an April 7 virtual press briefing, noting the department would not participate in immigration enforcement efforts in the county.
“Montgomery County police [are] not going to a scene demanding immigration status paperwork, or asking people what their status is,” Cokinos said.
However, county policy requires the police department and the county’s Department of Correction and Rehabilitation to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in their work on immigration and customs violations and drug and human trafficking. The county’s arrest and detention information is sent to the state and can be accessed by ICE.
“We don’t interfere with ICE activities. We never have interfered with ICE activities. We have a, I would say, positive relationship with ICE,” Elrich said during a virtual media briefing on April 30.
However, the county received criticism from ICE earlier this month after the department detained a Gaithersburg resident who was an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador and convicted felon. ICE alleges that multiple detainer requests were sent to the county, while county officials say the error was due to clerical issues and not policy.
Following Trump’s executive order in April, county officials voiced concern that the definition of “sanctuary jurisdiction” may be unclear.
Stewart noted to Bethesda Today in an interview last month that the term “sanctuary city” is subjective and doesn’t have a legal definition.
“There’s a lot of unknowns about this executive order,” Stewart told Bethesda Today. “Different jurisdictions define ‘sanctuary city’ in different ways, so there is not one definition, and I think that is one of the things that we’re looking closely at.”
In Thursday’s press release, Elrich said the safety of county residents is his priority.
“Montgomery County will continue to stand with all of our residents, including our immigrant residents. We will follow the law,” he said. “But we will not abandon our values, we will not allow our communities to be divided, and we will not allow the contributions of our immigrant neighbors to be erased.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
