Baltimore is at a crossroads. A bill now before the Baltimore City Council would ensure that no private immigration detention centers are built in our city and would limit immigration enforcement in places meant to serve the public—like schools, libraries, and parks.

This is not an abstract issue. City leaders have stated that many immigrants across the U.S. are detained in facilities run by private corporations, where profit can take priority over people. At the same time, Baltimore officials have described a growing climate of fear among immigrant families—parents afraid to take their children to school, neighbors worried that everyday activities could lead to detention.

Across the country, immigrant advocates, journalists, and legal organizations have raised concerns about unsafe conditions, lack of medical care, and mistreatment in some immigration detention facilities. These concerns are part of why local governments are increasingly stepping in where they can—because while cities cannot control federal policy, they can decide what happens within their own boundaries.

Baltimore now has the opportunity to lead with compassion and common sense.

This petition calls on the Baltimore City Council—and specifically Councilmembers Odette Ramos, Paris Gray, Mark Parker, and Council President Zeke Cohen—to pass this legislation and ensure Baltimore remains a city where no one is treated as disposable, and no private corporation profits from detention in our communities.

Baltimore cannot dictate federal immigration policy—but it can choose not to participate in systems that harm its residents.

Sign this petition to stand with Baltimore’s immigrant communities and urge city leaders to pass this bill without delay.