Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Howard and Anne Arundel) and Del. Gabriel Moreno (D-Howard) unveiled a bill Thursday that would let Howard County set higher property tax and transfer tax rates for a proposed immigration detention facility in Elkridge. The legislation comes after a federal court rejected county emergency legislation that would have withdrawn the permit for the facility.
The proposed 29,000-square-foot Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Elkridge office park would include a holding cell for immigrant detainees. The bill would apply higher taxes to any property leased as a “secure confinement facility.”
Lam stated, “ICE’s facility is not something that we asked for… We never wanted it here, and we will all pay a price.” He added, “We don’t believe that Howard County taxpayers should be footing the bill for their unwanted presence.” Moreno said the bill aims to combat the direct and indirect fiscal effects of the facility, such as additional traffic management and public safety concerns.
Dozens of community leaders and members from organizations like We Are CASA, Indivisible Howard County, and St. John’s Episcopal Church joined Lam and Moreno in support of their efforts. We Are CASA Maryland’s policy manager, Ninfa Amador-Hernandez, said the legislation is a necessary way for the community to ensure it has the resources to push back against the federal administration’s actions.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson wrote in an email, “no tax will stop ICE from deporting criminal illegal aliens to make Maryland safe again.”
The bill would first have to be approved by the county’s delegation in Annapolis of eight delegates and three senators, before going to the full General Assembly for consideration this spring. If passed and signed into law, the next step would be for the county to pass legislation to set the specific rate.
