On Tuesday, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested and detained for four hours for escorting immigrants out of immigration court. This isn’t the first time an elected official has been arrested for standing up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least four other officials, including Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka, have been detained for interfering with ICE operations.

Detentions are not new. From the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, tens of thousands of immigrants have been detained, yet less than 10% of these immigrants have had violent criminal records. The new administration has not stopped at undocumented immigrants, however.

Even immigrants who have entered the country legally and U.S. citizens have been detained by ICE, especially in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who despite being granted legal status and the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling to return him to Maryland, has not been freed (Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges in Tennessee federal court, June 13, 2025).

These relentless raids have sown terror into immigrant communities. As someone who lives in a sanctuary county, taking precautions against ICE is not an option but a necessity.

Previously protected areas, including schools, churches and hospitals, are no longer safe from immigration enforcement. Many immigrants must think twice before sending their kids to school, getting groceries, going to church and performing many daily tasks out of fear of being detained.

The detention of elected officials should be especially alarming. If people in power — our very own representatives — cannot stand up to ICE, who is left to fight for our communities? Due process is disappearing from our country, and this should concern everyone. If people are being taken off the streets or arrested for voicing opposition to the current administration, anyone can be detained. This isn’t just about immigrant justice anymore but the fundamental principles of our country.

Authoritarianism doesn’t come overnight. It starts from the gradual erosion of civil liberties, and nothing is more telling than the arrest of good-faith public servants trying to protect our communities.

Sarah Pan, Ellicott City

The Baltimore Banner publishes letters to the editor, exclusive to our publication, of no more than 350 words. Letters can be submitted for consideration to letters@thebaltimorebanner.com.