SNOW HILL – State legislators this week voted to override the governor’s veto of a measure that will prohibit Worcester County’s jail from working with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
On Tuesday, the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of HB 16, which bans local jails from housing detainees for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Both Sen. Mary Beth Carozza and Del. Wayne Hartman opposed the legislation.
“In general, the people being held are being held for a reason,” Hartman said. “Many of them are rapists, murderers and gang members. They’re bad people and they deserve to be separated from their families, separated from society.”
Worcester County has been housing up to 200 immigration-related detainees through a contract with ICE since 1999. Revenue from the ICE agreement provided the jail with $5.1 million of its $9.2 million budget in fiscal year 2019.
HB 16, however, passed this spring and will prohibit governmental entities, including Worcester County, from housing ICE detainees. Hogan vetoed the measure in May but the General Assembly voted Tuesday to override the veto.
“I strongly opposed the legislation during the 2021 session, highlighting that we should not take a one size fits all approach,” Carozza said. “At that time, I pointed out in my remarks on the Senate Floor that the facility in Snow Hill is safe and secure for detainees awaiting processing under federal regulations. Both Delegate Hartman and I offered an amendment to exempt Worcester County from the legislation which was not approved by the majority in the Maryland General Assembly.”
According to Hartman, 26 jobs are tied to the county’s ICE contract. He said the revenue associated with the detainees would just go elsewhere, as the legislation will prompt ICE to work with other jurisdictions outside Maryland.
Carozza noted the Maryland General Assembly took up several veto overrides, including HB 16, this week.
“Let me put all of this in perspective,” Carozza said. “We are supposed to be here in Annapolis this week for a special session to pass a fair Congressional redistricting map for Maryland. Instead, the majority in the Maryland legislature spent the first couple days overriding the governor’s public safety vetoes. We need to take up the governor’s emergency crime bills during this special session.”
