Maryland county votes unanimously to ban former ICE agents from local gov jobs

Bill 29-26 limits people who worked for ICE after October 2025 from holding roles that the county deems as “sensitive,” according to the Washington Signal.

Councilmember Kristin Mink sponsored this bill along with broad co-sponsorship from other council members.

The news drew backlash on social media. @libsoftiktok posted, “How is this legal??” and tagged the DOJ Civil Rights division.

The date of October 2025 is aligned to target individuals who were either hired or continued to work at ICE when the Trump administration used expanded enforcement operations, the council viewed.

Mink said, “We’ve got a lawless federal administration undermining faith in the government across the board,” adding, “It is incumbent on us to take every step that we can to demonstrate that here, we have our residents’ backs and we are drawing lines in the sand.”

The broad ruling also applies to contractors of employees of other federal government agencies who may have been assigned to “administer, aid, or otherwise participate” in immigration enforcement.”

The positions that this ruling would apply to include the police department, libraries and fire and rescue. Agency heads would be in charge of deciding which positions qualify as “sensitive.” These jobs would consist of any job with “regular interaction with the public,” or “decision-making authority over access to or distribution of public resources.”

A second bill also passed unanimously about the prohibition of housing discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status. This expedited Bill 38-26 is an extension of the county’s existing protections against discrimination.

The mayor of Houston recently used an executive order to end cooperation with ICE for illegal aliens with “non-jailable infractions.”

Meanwhile, ICE is funded until 2029 in a bill passed by the Republican-led Congress. Data shows that enforcement of immigration laws is not why Republicans lost in the mid-term elections.

Markwayne Mullin, Department of Homeland Security Secretary, said earlier this month, “Just yesterday, ICE arrested more heinous illegal alien criminals with convictions including attempted murder, aggravated assault with a weapon, and child molestation,” adding, “The Trump administration will never apologize for putting the safety of the American people first by arresting and removing these criminal illegal aliens.”