Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando said Thursday that the county will defend its Unmask ICE Act following a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit challenging the law.
“I introduced the Unmask ICE Act because public safety depends on trust, and trust depends on knowing who is operating in our neighborhoods,” Jawando said. “Montgomery County residents deserve to know who is acting in the name of the government.”
Jawando called the law “a lawful exercise of the County’s authority to protect public safety within our borders” and said Montgomery County would “defend it vigorously.”
The Justice Department filed the lawsuit Thursday against Maryland, Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and state officials. The federal government argues that state and local restrictions on face coverings and identification requirements for federal officers violate the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and could interfere with federal law enforcement operations.
