AIM Supports the Trust Act at Council Hearing

Written By Katie Wenger

AIM leaders at the Trust Act hearing on January 13.

On Tuesday, January 13, AIM leaders showed up at the County Council building to support the Trust Act! This bill (Bill 35-25) would strengthen existing protections for immigrants in Montgomery County.

Faith leaders and community members from AIM and partner organizations testified about the need to respect the rights of our immigrant communities in Montgomery County. A special thank you to our amazing AIM speakers of the afternoon: Rev. Michael Vanacore, Rev. Louise Green, and Rev. Kristin Schmidt.

The Trust Act (Bill 35-25):

  • Codifies and strengthens the 2019 Executive Order on immigrant protections.

  • Prohibits County employees from asking about or investigating immigration status unless required by law.

  • Bars discrimination, intimidation, or denial of services based on real or perceived immigration status.

  • Guarantees access to all County benefits/services regardless of immigration status.

  • Requires acceptance of alternative forms of ID, including foreign government IDs or approved nonprofit IDs.

  • Prevents County participation in civil immigration enforcement, including arrests, detainers, and release notifications without a judicial warrant.

  • Ensures immediate release of individuals once legally eligible—no delays due to ICE requests.

  • Restricts ICE access to non-public areas of County buildings and sensitive locations without a judicial warrant.

  • Prohibits intergovernmental agreements for civil immigration detention or enforcement cooperation.

  • Requires departments to remove unnecessary immigration questions from forms and strengthen confidentiality protections.

  • Mandates semiannual reporting to the Council on immigration-related requests and responses.

While Montgomery County already practices most of these policies, the Trust Act will strengthen them and pass them into law, making them harder to change.

We’re thanking all eleven Councilmembers for co-sponsoring the bill and asking them not to weaken it with amendments. You can send emails to your Councilmembers in support of the bill here: Email Your Councilmembers

Great work, team!

Read more here: MoCo community members express overwhelming support for proposed Trust Act (Bethesda Today)

Katie Wenger
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