He discusses a proposal for a legal advocacy fund.
Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor
Frederick, Md (KM) Since he announced that the City will protect local immigrants, and resist possible policies from incoming President Donald Trump who has promise a round up and deportation of immigrants who are here illegally and have committed crimes , Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor has been getting a lot attention. He spoke about immigration during a recent appearance on WFMD’s “Morning News Express.”
One topic the Mayor addressed was about a proposal to include money in his fiscal year 2026 budget for a legal advocacy fund for residents who may be harmed by the policies of the new administration. A host of the “Morning News Express,” Bob Miller, asked about that. “You say you’re going to start a legal fund for people who are dealing with issues—-I know where it was in your speech–who’s going to pay for that?”
Mayor O’Connor responded. “Trusted partner organizations would apply for grants out of these funds when we identify dollar amounts and what we think the scope of the need is, and we will administer them to trusted non-profits to assist their clients and the people they work with everyday,”: he said.
O’Connor said they would be similar to grants awarded to local non-profits. “Grants that go to legitimate partner non-profits to do the work that the government could not do as well as they do. And it’s a small contribution that we can provide to Heartly House, to the Mental Health Association, to ARC of Frederick County, whomever it might be, doing important work on behalf of our community. We would see these funds working in a very similar way,” he said.
Another immigration-related question was addressed to Mayor O’Connor. “If the federal law changes, will the Frederick City Police abide by the law, or will they not abide the law if federal agencies come into the city of Frederick,” host Mr. Miller asked.
“I’m not dealing in speculation,” the Mayor responded.
He continued. “The City Police is not an immigration task force,” O’Connor said. “And the federal government should fix the borders. The federal government should fix federal immigration policy. The federal government should not expect that local governments, already strapped with providing services to their residents, should pick up the cost of doing the business which is rightfully that of the federal government.”
Both Mayor O’Connor and Mr. Miller agreed that the border has remained “unfixed” for years under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
It’s a question that always comes up in the immigration debate, and it was asked to the Mayor by Mr. Miller. “Are you saying without saying it that Frederick city will become a sanctuary city?”
“Nothing in the city is changing about how we conduct business,” Mayor O-Connor responded. “We will continue to do the things that we have always done, and we are a city that provides services to people who live in the city of Frederick.”
As an example, the Mayor also noted that the Frederick Police do not ask about the immigration status of suspects and individuals they encounter, and that practice will continue.
By Kevin McManus