Dozens of protesters gathered at Prince George’s County, Maryland’s main government building Tuesday, demanding that the county rescind a permit for expanding a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Hyattsville.
They rallied outside before going inside to speak at a county council meeting.
“I am here today to insist and to beg you to act with moral strength, intention and principle for the people of the county,” Susan Taylor, the first of several speakers, told the council.
The permit was issued by another branch of the county government. The council does not have any real say on the issue, but by speaking at the meeting, protesters could make their statements part of the official record and speak to county leaders face-to-face.
The ICE office is located along Belcrest Road and Route 410, an area where a large number of Hispanic immigrants live.
In July, the county’s permitting office gave ICE the permits needed to occupy more office space there — a move that angered several county residents.
“We cannot trust ICE in our community,” Chrissy Wilkin said.
She said she was representing the Greenbelt Resistance Network, a group working to “share and plan the resistance.”
“Today, we’re bringing you this petition that has been signed by over 1,000 people in Prince George’s County, residents here that want you to resist ICE and rescind the permit at 6505 Belcrest Road,” Wilkin said.
In a statement, County Executive Aisha Braveboy’s office said the county inspected the space “and determined that it was not designed to be used as a detention center.” The county also received written assurances from the General Services Administration and ICE that the space would be used only for legal and administrative purposes, according to the statement.
Many of those who spoke said they did not trust the Trump administration to keep its word, assertions backed by Prince George’s County Council Chair Krystal Oriadha.
“We were surprised by it,” Oriadha said of the permit. “We’ve reached out to the (county) administration to ask and request the same thing — for them to figure out if there’s a way to rescind the permit. And then we’re looking at what options we have as the legislative body since we don’t issue the permits, if there’s anything we can do for our end.”
She also thanked the demonstrators for speaking during the hearing and encouraged them to continue speaking out.
“I stand with the residents,” Oriadha told WTOP. “I’m saddened they (ICE) got the permit.”
She also echoed the mistrust of ICE and the Trump administration expressed by the protesters.
“Do we trust them to operate?” she asked. “The reality is we don’t. We don’t trust this administration. We don’t trust what they’re saying.”
WTOP reached out to ICE for comment.
In the past, the Trump administration has blasted the county as a sanctuary jurisdiction and said community leaders are “endangering Americans … to protect violent criminal illegal aliens.”
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