Howard County’s top official is looking to ban permits for privately owned detention centers after an inspection of an office building in Elkridge raised concerns, according to a news release.

County Executive Calvin Ball said in a statement Saturday that it is not clear if a federal agency will use the facility, but “the creation of privately-owned detention facilities anywhere in our county and state raises serious concerns about health, welfare, and oversight.”

The County Council, mostly made up of Democrats, will vote on the measure Monday.

Late Saturday night, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a statement, saying, “We have no new detention centers to announce at this time.”

The agency said its parent, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.

The statement continued: “ICE is targeting criminals including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members and more. ... ICE has new funding to expand detention space to keep these criminals off American streets before they are removed for good from our communities.”

The Howard County announcement comes days after the Department of Homeland Security bought a warehouse near Hagerstown to retrofit into an immigration detention center.

The building, located at 6522 Meadowridge Road in Elkridge, is 28,614 square feet. It is owned by Genesis GSA Strategic One, LLC., but a third-party company known as McKeever Services received the permit to renovate the space in August 2025. Neither company could be immediately reached for comment.

Ball did not state what the detention center would be used for, but a 2023 document from Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services said that the tenant of the facility was “GSA Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

The months-long renovation is nearing completion after its most recent inspection passed at the end of December, the county said.

“As we continue to see the devastating consequences of federal enforcement actions that have led to loss of life and unrest, we must stand united against any actions that cause more harm, fear, and division within our community,” Ball said in a statement Friday that introduced the emergency legislation.

Tensions have been rising in Howard County over immigration enforcement in the state’s only sanctuary jurisdiction.

Last week, Howard County Police said it was able to confirm an arrest made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for the first time in Columbia. Federal court records show that one man from El Salvador was arrested in Elkridge on Jan. 19, five days before officers confirmed the Columbia arrest.