They attended at rally at Baker Park on Sunday.
Frederick, Md (KM). Hundreds of people showed up Sunday afternoon for a rally in Frederick’s Baker Park to show support for the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office participation in the federal 287g program which allows county detention center personnel to check the immigration status of those arrested by deputies.
The program has come under fire recently by some residents who want the Sheriff’s Office to discontinue its cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One of the organizers of the rally, Mark Shaff, says there’s a lot of misunderstanding about 287g.
“A lot of them listen to what people are saying but don’t hear about it because they think they go on the street and pull people off the street, and it’s not that,” he says. “It keeps the community safe, everybody in the community, and that’s why I support this program.
The Sheriff’s Office began working with ICE to administer the program a few years ago. Sheriff Chuck Jenkins has said any determination of a suspect’s immigration status takes place at the Detention Center after that individual has been arrested.
Also at the rally were two Angel Moms. One was Marlo Wolf, whose husband was FBI agent, Carlos Wolf. In December, 2017, his vehicle became disabled along Interstate 270 in Montgomery County. Maryland Deputy Fire Marshal Sander Cohen stopped to assist. Both men were outside of their vehicles when they were struck by a car operated by Roberto Garza Palacios of Germantown.
Later in 2018, prosecutors in Montgomery County determined there was not enough evidence to charge Garza Palacios with anything more than a traffic violation.
“We were reeling with what happened, and there was no justice that happened whatsoever,” Marlo Wolf said. “But Palacios was already wanted by ICE in 2015 and again 2017. So three months before the accident he had been jail numerous times because of his lengthy driving offense record.”
Marlo Wolf said if Montgomery County had been part of the 287g program, this accident would not have happened.
That comment was echoed by Arlene Cohen, the mother of Sander Cohen.
“God Bless Sheriff Jenkins because the Sheriff Jenkins is upholding the law of the land and keeping people safe in Frederick County,” she said. “He has said that all of the people that are causing problems will come over to Montgomery County because of our lax laws. So we want to warn people and let them know that, yes, it can happen to you. We didn’t think it would ever happen to us.”
By Kevin McManus