The Howard County Council held a hybrid legislative public hearing on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the George Howard Building. The hearing addressed two emergency bills: CB16-2026, which would restrict permits for I-3 Use group (detention facilities) to government agencies only, and CB17-2026, which would require the County Executive to develop guidance on immigration enforcement at county facilities. Public testimony was received on both bills, with strong opinions expressed for and against the legislation. One speaker was removed after using vulgar language and refusing to yield the floor. No council discussion or votes occurred during this hearing; a continuation was scheduled for February 5, 2026 if needed.
Looks like everybody's going home on us. We're still here. Good evening. Good evening, County, County Council, our most respected County Executive Ball, Liz Walsh, for introducing this legislation for our communities, elected government officials, community leaders, servant leaders, residents, and might I add the most courageous and emboldened and significant students who were here tonight to offer testimony. That was very inspiring. What we are witnessing is nothing foreign to black and brown communities. But happy Black History Month to everyone here. It is Black History Month. My name is Daema Lewis. I serve as an MLK commissioner here in Howard County, but I'm offering independent testimony on tonight. C B 16 prohibits private office buildings and entities from being converted into detention facilities, especially without public oversight to house those reduced to human cargo. Howard County's motto reminds us that moral excellence is the one thing that cannot be defeated. Our slogan for the 2026 year is good living, good business. So why would we allow private companies to convert local spaces into detention centers? Howard County has never been known for private prisons, and we should not start now. Doing so would undermine the justice, compassion, and community values that make Howard County one of the best places to live with the top public schools in America. Do we really want to add best places for best place for private immigration detention to that list? I don't think so. When I did my research for more than 20 years, Howard County has ranked among the wealthiest in this nation. We do not need the greed of private interests during driving mass incarceration for profit in this community. This country's administration, along with elite corporations, have long profited from systems designed to exploit citizens who have built this nation from the diaspora, immigrant communities, and those still fighting for equity and belonging. Immigration detention cripples community safety. It destabilizes our economy, and it poisons public trust. The presence of immigration detention centers are a direct threat that incite fear, strip away integrity, and systematically dismantles the equity that has helped our county evolve into one of the most diverse and cohesive communities throughout the state of Maryland. Private businesses should remain spaces for trade and community, not incarceration, not human exploitation, not kidnapping, not trafficking, or smuggling of any kind. Regarding the lives of its residents, fighting to secure the future options of our students, and protecting the values that promote this biblical command. Love your neighbors as you would love yourself. In Howard County, we practice good living, good business, while we honor our past and celebrate our future, knowing together we will be great because moral excellence is the one thing that cannot be defeated. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your testimony. Okay, next we have Ashley Asbury, followed by Jocelyn Castillo, Lawrence Hudnell. Abdun Martin. And Aileen Tar. Ayaline Tar. Can I start? I want to thank you for saving me towards the last of the speakers that are providing testimony. Because I am now more in fear of where I live, which is in Columbia, Maryland, surrounded by people who suffer from TDS, who have been brainwashed by the media to fulfill the divide and conquer agenda that the government has. No one has mentioned Rachel Moran. No one has mentioned any victims that have been raped, mutilated, trafficked, uses drug mules, killed by illegal immigrants. Not one person has said anything about a victim here. This is about this county being completely delusional, supporting and enabling criminals who are here illegally. If you're an immigrant and don't have your paperwork, be a responsible adult and get your paperwork together because if I got pulled over and didn't have my license, I'd be thrown in a holding cell. And the fact that Liz Walsh interfered with a police operation, you jeopardize the lives of children of families and our officers. Anyone who interferes with law, whether it be local, state, or federal, should be deemed a domestic terrorist and should be detained themselves. I strongly oppose these bills. They are absolute nonsense. You want to create an Airbnb for illegal criminals? Are you fucking kidding me? They're murdering people. Sure.