New Law Codifies Procedures for How City’s Staff Engage with Public
Rockville’s Mayor and Council voted Monday, June 19 to adopt “Fostering Community Trust,” an ordinance that amends and adds a section to Chapter 11 of the City of Rockville’s “Human Rights” code.
The ordinance restricts all City of Rockville employees — including police officers — from requesting citizenship or immigration status of any person unless required by law.
According to the ordinance, “by codifying the City of Rockville’s informal policy, Rockville residents will be ensured that City of Rockville employees and law enforcement officers will follow certain procedures when interacting with and providing services to the public.”
Rockville will continue to follow federal law as it applies to the city. Federal law does not require local governments to enforce federal civil immigration laws.
Rockville is among the nation’s most diverse communities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2011-2015 American Community Survey, of the city’s total population of 64,331, 20.5 percent are Asian, 15.7 percent are Hispanic or Latino and 9.8 percent are black.
For more information, see the June 19 agenda.