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Baltimore Mayor Bars Police From Immigration Enforcement

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Alex DeMetrick 370x278

Reporting Alex DeMetrick

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BALTIMORE (WJZ)– First, federal agents announce they would begin checking the immigration status of people arrested in Baltimore. Now, the city’s mayor has ordered police not to do the Feds’ work for them.

Alex DeMetrick reports the order is meant to keep communication open between immigrants and police.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the lead federal agency dealing with illegal immigrants. With an executive order by the mayor, Baltimore police are not to take on that enforcement job.

“Police are working to make our city safe. We are not working as immigration agents,” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

Here’s why:

“We felt a wave of fear begin to envelope the community,” Elizabeth Alex of Casa de Maryland said.

That began with the announcement that people taken to jail in Baltimore will have their immigration status checked by ICE agents.

In Baltimore’s growing Hispanic community, that’s made dealing with police– even a call for help– less certain.

“With this announcement today, we’re hopeful communities will once again regain that trust of the police department, and continue to call them for help,” Alex said.

Under the mayor’s order: No discrimination by police or city agencies against any city resident. The mayor also ordered no city funds be spent investigating civil violations of immigration law.

And questions about immigration status may not be made to start a civil immigration investigation.

The mayor’s order does not stop police from cooperating with federal agents in cases involving undocumented immigrants suspected of criminal activity.

“And the city’s not going to stand in the way of that enforcement,” Rawlings-Blake said.

But it won’t be checking visas for ICE, just to be checking.

The mayor’s executive order is also making a request of ICE, asking them to identify themselves as ICE agents and not simply as police.

View Comments
  • Sylvan Finkelstein

    hay stephane, can’t you make any decisions on your own,instead of haVING YOUR STRINGS PULLED MY MARTIN

    • CP

      when are the people of Baltimore going to do more than complain? Protest this woman and throw her out of office.

      • Kathy

        Agree!

  • M.A.

    Ms Mayor Rawlings Blake. Your little protected world & mine along with thousands of others who are legal tax paying citizens does not see eye to eye. You & the Governor are creating a sanctuary state allowing illegals to breed, work cheaper, use our resources in education, medical while paying squat into the syatem. This is your idea of increasing the city’s population by 20k in a few yrs?

    • deltasweetiepi

      Madam Mayor is receiving some type of financial and free labor reward for allowing illegals to remain in Baltimore city. The governor is at the end of the road in his political career, he cannot be elected to office anymore so he is looking out for him. The Feds want to go through their records they will and there is not a darn thing she or Marty can do about it. I just hope the good taxpaying citizens Baltimore can see where their taxes are going.

    • Colleen

      hahaha look at M.A. Stupidity meets racism!

  • deltasweetiepi

    Madam Mayor must be receiving some type of stipend from this group known to harbor criminals and illegals that should be deported. These individuals do not PAY TAXES which continues to gouge the pockets of the citizens of Baltimore. She is truly hiding something….inquiring minds want to know. Can you imagine ordering law enforcement personnel not to do a portion of their job?

    • readthewholearticle

      Actually they pay more taxes than we do. There is usually withholding and then they do not file tax returns.

      • l

        Don’t you have to be here legally to get either a tax id or ss number ? So how are they paying any taxes ?

      • MEL

        First – they are ILLEGAL – that alone says it all – Deductions can not be “taken” from someone who is ILLEGAL and getting paid UNDER THE TABLE – The baby momma’s are on WELFARE while they and the fathers work UNDER THE TABLE – sucking our system dry.. And you say “they do not file tax returns” and the reason that they don’t file tax returns is that THEY ARE ILLEGAL and are using BOGUS S.S. #’S – Which has put many HARD WORKING LEGAL AMERICANS OUT OF WORK – What a crock of bull.. You need to go back across the border – HEY ILLEGALS – WHY NOT GO HOME AND MAKE YOUR COUNTRY A BETTER PLACE ??

  • BiteMe

    Maryland Facing a $1.35 billion budget gap in 2012. this number could be LOWERED to $0 if you D E P O R T THE I L L E G A L.

    • deltasweetiepi

      Amen

  • Jeff Thomas

    What a bucket of democratic dysfunction Baltimore has become from a pilering Mayor stealing from poor kids, the person in charge of poor kids cut and running to DC, out of control PD, deplorabe schools, skyrocketing unemployment and assistance needed in most homes. Now the Mayor is rolling put the welcome mat to illegals …..smh

    • deltasweetiepi

      They just traded one thief for another

  • 1-0-3-0 witherspoon

    THIS NATION IS GOING QUICK, THE CITY STREETS OF BALTIMORE ARE ALREADY THIRD WORLD COUNTRYS,,,,,WHIT FOLKS YOU HAD BEST START REKINDING YOUR FAMILY AND VALUES it’s time we stop and lokk what going down,,,,ohray for our side

  • Jeff Thomas

    So the democrats actually believe Americans will not see through this collusion to provide cover for the Obama Administration’s “tootheless crack down” on illegals which is costing Americans billions and is fueling black unemployment and poverty in America in exchange for hispanic support in the gerneral election.

  • ben

    Maybe if she enforced the drug laws with the same intensity, our town might actually be safe.

    • deltasweetiepi

      You have a GOOD point there, but you see just as they would like to blame everything on blacks, poor whites…these illegals come with their own brand of crack cocaine..illegals cannot vote so they offer nothing in regards to helping a democrat or a republican get into office, however the democrats muck up our tax dollars and keep taxing us to take care of the illegals, their offspring, their education …so on and so on…she can enjoy this 4 years because she will not get another shot.

  • larryag

    it is shocking how many ignorant people live in Baltimore or read Baltimore papers

  • judy berlin

    Such hateful comments.

    • KARAN

      judy judy judy

  • VOTE HER OUT!!!

    So O’Malley needs to tak us more so Blake can keep illegals in our City. WE WILL PAY THE PRICE. Blake can’t even pay for people on wellfare, but she can pay for illegals to take jobs from US Citizens. All the head politicians in this State have brain damage. VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!

    • deltasweetiepi

      Bingo

  • deltasweetiepi

    Baltimore is the first for ICE and the FEDS to go after for illegals because most have come here after being made unwelcome in other places where they attempted to settle. Also it is a known FACT that Maryland does not really prosecute crimes against the poor the way they do for those with STATUS and MONEY. Take a look around people those that are here legally are not concerned…only those who are here illegally are nervous. If they are law breakers why would we want to keep them…we have enough degenerates both black and white, etc. that keeping them adds another financial burden to a City that is already going BUST.

  • yes

    Well folks it is done .There is no place to hide . From western md. to eastern shore it is all the same crime and deterioration of the small towns

  • concerned citizen

    It a white girl thing look around more mix baby with white mother, need to talk to your dauthers.

  • KottaMan

    She inherited a broken city with a dwindling population. This is her way to game the system, increase Baltimore’s population, and look better on the next census. The end game is to get more representation in Annapolis. Another way to also hamstring the police department and make it as hard and unpalatable to work there as possible. Why have a Commissioner is the mayor wants to run the department?

  • Jim Ayd

    How can the Mayor order that the police no longer find out whether there are illegals. The police are responsible to do what even the Federal Government mandates. The police cannot turn a blind eye to this issue. The Mayor might be the Mayor, but she cannot control the actions of a police department. Get rid of your policeman that supplies your safety. The mayor cannot change the duties of the police.,As the mayor you cannot enforce the likes and dislikes of your Police Department. Your gonna scream when the day comes when an illegal immigrant becomes Mayor of Baltimore, and that will happen someday. The only issue is to insist that illegal immigrants become legal citizens.

  • deltasweetiepi

    She is a joke, no wonder the citizens of baltimore are leaving for the counties…stephie has provided safe haven for illegals at the expense of taxpayer monies.

  • Kay

    This is the way it should be! The police are not the ICE or the FBI. Keep them doing their jobs & hold the others accountable for doing their own jobs. If people are less afraid to call the police maybe there can be less crime. Obviously the federal government isn’t doing enough about illegal immigration, why pass their jobs off to our Baltimore police officers?

    • Jerry

      Answer to your question is that the illegals are part of the crime problem. So if you help ICE and the Feds you are killing 2 birds with one stone.

  • Bill

    The good thing about Baltimore is? Wait there is nothing.

  • Baltimore 62

    I have Never seen a person more arrogant and out of touch as the mayor of Baltimore City.She is AFRAID to crack down on illegals because the city benefits from the cheap labor,at this very moment the city of Baltimore is using contractors that are using illegals.Go to any road crew or construction site they are there.Many of them have families that are recieving full welfare,medical and food stamp assistance paid for by all working taxpayers.Rawlings-Blake better enjoy her only 4 years in office.

    • deltasweetiepi

      Amen to that..the truth and nothing but the truth.

  • Jerry

    If she is going against ICE and the feds telling by telling the police and the not to help, correct me if i’m wrong but isn’t that aiding and abating criminals? If you or me did the same thing we would have our a** in prison. What ‘s wrong with the picture? Who’s getting what?
    Like the saying goes O’Bama , O’Malley , O’Sh**. Now we gotta come up with one for the idiot Blake. By the way Blake don’t go crying that the city is broke cause of your stupidity. Let’s hope that Blake doesn’t run for governor .

  • Jerry

    I remember when Broadway was a nice area, painted screens , flowers on both sides of the marble steps people taking care of their homes and shops. Now it looks like Mexico illegals standing on the corner of Broadway and Lombard .Pull into the 7 11 there your afraid to get out of the car cause when you get out they are watching you going in and coming out. Thank you to the Mayor , Governor and O’Bama . Keep them coming until Baltimore and the state of Maryland turns into Mexico , then maybe those idiots will be happy.

    • m.A.

      Jerry, It is that way because the Mayor & the Gov. will never have to step in that parking lot without an armed security guard.

    • Colleen

      I am a white woman and I love going down broadway they have awesome restaurants and music. If you are so racist that you get upset to see a Latino family hanging out in their neighborhood than don’t go to Fells Point. I think you should be deported to Europe for stupidity and KKK ideology.

  • Mom

    Maybe she’s confused and thinks illegal aliens vote?

    If the police suspect someone is illegal, they should contact the proper immigration authorities & let them make the determination. If the person is here illegally, regardles of whether or not they committed a crime, they should be deported. No handouts or amnesty, deport all illegal aliens!

    • felipe

      Probably you are a native american, because if not you are an illegal immigrant descendant too, so your parents should leave this country too.

  • felipe

    HOW WE CAN BE SO HYPOCRITE WHEN CRITICIZE THE NAZIS WHEN THEY PURSUIT THE JEWISH WHEN WE SUPPORT THE SAME THING HERE “IN THE LAND OF THE FREE”, BUT FREE OF WHAT?

    • Mom

      It is not the same thing at all- they are talking about ALL illegal immigrants, not just Hispanic ones. If someone is an illegal alien, it does not matter if they are from Guatamala, China, Jamaica or India.

      It is not any sort of attempt at “racial cleansing” or saying certain people are worthless, it is enforcing immigration laws that apply to all persons regardless of their race, religion or country of origin. People who are in this country illegally are violating the law, so there is nothing hypocritical about deporting them and it seems you totally misunderstand what the Nazis did.

      If you do not like it here, feel free to go back where you came from.

      • Baltimore 62

        Amen Mommy!

  • GET ALONG

    WHY CAN’T EVERYBODY JUST GET ALONG. SPANISH BEEN HERE LONGER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE. SPANISH PEOPLE ARE HUMAN BEINGS JUST LIKE US. DAMN HAVE RESPECT AND STOP HATING. SPANISH PEOPLE ARE DOING ALOT BETTER WORK THEN OUR OWN PEOPLE. WAKE UP AND SEE.. YOU ARE SAFER AROUND SPANISH PEOPLE THAN BLACKS. NOT BEING RACIST BUT THAT IS THE TRUTH.

    • Mom

      get along- aka felipe— YOU are making this a racial issue when it is not. Immigration laws apply to ALL people equally, not just to Hispanic people. Not all illegal immigrants are Hispanic nor are they all honest hard working people or criminals either. Illegal aliens are criminals, not honest tax paying citizens. I have no problem with Hispanic people and would not make broad comments, good or bad, about an entire race or ethnic population. The majority of illegal aliens are Hispanic and stating that is not hate, it is just a fact and geography undoubtedly has a lot to do with it. Saying that I would be safer living around one race than another is racism- my neighbors are good people that happen to be Black, White and Hispanic. Exactly who is “our own people”? This country is made up of people from all over the world; those of us who are legal citizens are all Americans regardless of where we or our ancestors came from.

      El hecho es que, aunque no soy hispana, tengo un agradecimiento muy profundo para la cultura hispana y he hecho un esfuerzo aprender el idioma español.

    • Fedup with Govt bs

      Its not about any race or ethnic group, the whole subject should be about doing things the LEGAL way! If you break the law-you deserve to pay the price. Not get free everything. If i work, I pay taxes which pay for all those collecting from the system. Then if I need the system to help me there is no money. How do you all think the govt got into this financial trouble! Social Security would not be in the situation they are in if it was ONLY paying out to those who paid into it and for its purpose. Drug addict, alcoholics, kids with ADD/ADHD or people with some’mental’ disorders, or plain lazy people should not be allowed to collect from this fund. And welfare should have a time limit. You should have ‘x’ a,mount of time to get a job, any job not one you think you deserve then get off the system.
      Plus, the mayor and O’Malley are just doing all this to keep their votes to keep their views being approved. Check and see how many illegals vote illegally too!

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