'Deeply personal for me': Baltimore City Council introduces bill to ban private detention centers

BALTIMORE —

Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen introduced a bill to ban private detention centers in the city.

The bill, introduced Monday, aims to enforce the ban through zoning regulations.

Video above: ** State leaders make unannounced visit to ICE building **(Monday)

Cohen said that individuals who commit crimes should be processed through the normal judicial system rather than be held in private detention centers.

"People who commit acts of violence, commit acts of crime should go through the normal judicial process," Cohen said. "It is not just to have private detention centers in the city of Baltimore, and we've seen the Department of Homeland Security's overreliance on private detention centers."

Cohen said the ban would be enforced through zoning regulations.

"We could introduce a new category within the zoning code of private detention centers. Then, we would ban them in the city," Cohen said. "Since they are often utilizing private contractors to do these private detention centers, that will no longer be allowed."

The proposal comes after five members of Maryland's Congressional delegation visited the ICE office and holding facility in Baltimore on Monday.

Cohen clarified that the bill would not impact federal buildings, but would prohibit private detention centers through city zoning codes.

"Our bill would not speak to that because it is a federal building. But what we are saying through our zoning code is that having a private detention center would be a banned use from the city of Baltimore," Cohen said.

Additionally, the Baltimore City Council is considering another bill related to immigration enforcement, known as the Safe Spaces and Communities bill.

"This is very deeply personal for me — for members of my community to be separated from their families, ripped from the arms of their loved ones," said Councilwoman Odette Ramos, D-District 14.

The city council's effort comes amid similar fights in nearby counties.

The Howard County Council passed legislation aimed at adding guidance for ICE action across the jurisdiction. It came amid suspicion that ICE was attempting to open a detainment facility in Elkridge.

Baltimore County councilmembers also convened an emergency session amid rumors of plans for an ICE office in Hunt Valley. The Baltimore County Council eventually passed legislation to prevent the potential center.