Federal immigration officials are calling on Howard County to revise its strict sanctuary policies following the potential release of a convicted rapist. These policies currently prohibit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers.

Maryland ICE Director Matthew Elliston highlighted the case of Pedro Acevedo-Ibare, a 25-year-old undocumented immigrant who recently pled guilty to first-degree rape and kidnapping. Acevedo-Ibare was accused of breaking into a Howard County woman’s bedroom, abducting her at knifepoint while her children were home, and raping her in a wooded area.

Elliston expressed concern that Howard County’s policies would allow Acevedo-Ibare to be released back into the community after serving his sentence, rather than being turned over to ICE. He urged Howard County Executive Calvin Ball to add exceptions to the Liberty Act, a sanctuary policy passed in 2020 that prohibits local cooperation with ICE agents regardless of the crime committed.

“This is an opportunity to see past the politics, look at public safety and say hey, you know what, I don’t want this individual raping another one of my residents,” Elliston stated.

However, in a recent interview with FOX45, Ball indicated no plans to change current policies, stating, “I think we have legislation that’s working right now for Howard County.” When questioned about the release of serious offenders back into the community, Ball maintained that federal enforcement should handle federal laws while local law enforcement focuses on local laws.

Elliston expressed concern that political considerations might be influencing Ball’s stance, saying, “I think someone is telling him that it would be detrimental to his political career to work with us, but nobody disagrees that you should keep rapists off your streets.”

FOX45 reported reaching out to Ball’s office for comment on whether he would consider turning this specific convicted rapist over to ICE, but had not received an immediate response at the time of reporting.

This case highlights the ongoing debate between federal immigration enforcement and local sanctuary policies, raising questions about public safety and the balance between local and federal jurisdictions in law enforcement.