Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier is convening an emergency session of the County Council following reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is opening legal offices in Hunt Valley.

Klausmeier said her office “investigated” reports of expanded ICE offices and determined that the U.S. General Services Administration, which manages government properties, had leased office space in Hunt Valley, although the intended use of the space was not immediately apparent.

“At this time, we do not know what business will be conducted in this space,” Klausmeier wrote in a statement. “However, we recognize the very real concerns this news raises for many members of our community.”

The plans for the office were first reported by Wired magazine this week as part of an investigation into ICE’s planned expansion throughout the country. The article stated that the office at 201 International Circle would be used for the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, the legal arm of ICE.

An active listing on a government job board shows ICE is hiring attorneys to work in the Baltimore area.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, declined to comment on whether the agency is leasing space in Hunt Valley, citing concerns about the safety of ICE agents. The spokesperson, who wouldn’t provide their name, said the agency is growing due to recent hiring.

Klausmeier said she was asking the County Council to “consider legislation that establishes necessary and appropriate guardrails.”

“Across the country, the presence of ICE has created fear and uncertainty for immigrant families,” Klausmeier wrote in her statement. “In Baltimore County, we believe every resident deserves to live, work, worship, and attend school without fear that their family will be torn apart or their daily life disrupted without warning.”

Councilmen Izzy Patoka and Julian Jones, both Democrats and candidates for county executive, said they plan to introduce emergency legislation Tuesday to block private companies — like those that contract with ICE — from operating detention facilities in the county. Howard County took similar action last week after plans for an ICE processing center in Elkridge became public.

Jones said in a statement he would urge his colleagues on the council to suspend its rules and pass the legislation immediately. Most bills are reviewed over two council work sessions before a vote.

Unlike in Howard and Washington counties, there are no reported plans for an ICE detention facility in Baltimore County. Patoka said ICE’s plans are often opaque.

“Who can be certain about what their intent is?” Patoka said. “The real fear is they don’t exude trust as an organization. So how can you trust them?”

Councilman Pat Young, a Democrat who represents Southwest Baltimore County, said he planned to join Jones and Patoka in sponsoring the legislation.

“DHS has repeatedly shown the American people a troubling disregard for transparency and the rule of law, and Baltimore County should not be used as a base for operations tied to chaos or inhumane detention practices seen elsewhere in the country,” said Young, who is also running for county executive.

Immigration issues have been at the forefront of recent council meetings. Earlier this month, bills introduced by Patoka to formally establish the county’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and restrict its ability to cooperate with ICE passed on a party-line vote.

Emergency legislation, however, requires a supermajority of five councilmen to pass, meaning at least one Republican would have to back the detention facility ban.

“That’s not lost on me,” Jones said, “but I am hopeful that I can convince my colleagues on the Republican side that this is not good for Baltimore County.”

Councilman David Marks, a Republican who represents the county’s east side, said that he had heard “zero” from Klausmeier or her staff about the emergency legislation.

“It’s common courtesy for the county executive or her staff to reach out if they want an emergency bill passed,” Marks said. “Having said that, I don’t really want a detention center in White Marsh or Middle River, period.”

Patoka added that he plans to introduce a bill restricting law enforcement from wearing masks — though Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown called a similar measure in the state legislature “likely unconstitutional.”

Banner reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this story.