MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County’s new Trust Act, which bars county first responders from assisting with federal immigration enforcement, is drawing renewed scrutiny after a recent water rescue on the Potomac River.
On July 22, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews were deployed to search for three people in the river while U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were conducting an enforcement operation nearby, WUSA9 reported.
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents detained two Mexican nationals along the riverbank. A third person is missing after swimming across the Potomac River. DHS said the three individuals were in the country illegally.
The Trust Act — officially the “Promoting Community Trust – Immigrant Protections Act” — limits cooperation among state and local agencies and federal immigration authorities. Regardless, fire and EMS crews are required to coordinate with law enforcement during rescues connected to police operations.
The incident has prompted some local leaders and residents to question whether the Trust Act should be revisited, while others are maintaining that firefighters and EMS personnel remain focused on their primary mission of protecting lives during emergencies, no matter the circumstances surrounding an incident.
“What this scenario showed is that it’s going to be very hard to predict what type of circumstances we’re going to be faced with,” said Montgomery County Councilmember Kristin Mink.
Mink noted that fire and rescue crews did not know ICE would be on the scene when they got the call and “had to make do with a very difficult situation.”
Fire and rescue officials said crews left the scene after determining no one was in the water.
The Montgomery County Career Fire Fighters Association, IAFF Local 1664, sent a letter to County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Kate Stewart after the incident, reaffirming the department’s commitment to service: “Let us be clear, when someone needs help, politics don’t matter. Montgomery County firefighters answer every call with the same compassion, dignity, and professionalism regardless of a person’s beliefs, background, or whom they support.”
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