Howard County launches form to track ICE activity
Residents and county employees can report observed ICE activity; the form asks for a date, approximate time and location, and warns submissions may become public.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced an online form for residents and county employees to report activity by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Howard County, Maryland. Ball said the county wants any federal agency's actions in Howard County to be lawful and that the tool gathers information on alleged ICE activity, including on county property1. In an Oct. 11 post on X, Libs of TikTok called it an “ICE snitch form” and claimed residents could use it to report ICE activity and “dox ICE’s live locations,” which the account said would impede operations2.
The county says submissions may be anonymous and requests the date, approximate time and location of an observed incident, among other details. Its immigration-resources page describes the form as a tracking tool, not a request for emergency assistance or an individual response3. Ball directs residents to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. The county warns that submitted information may be disclosed under Maryland’s Public Information Act1.
WMAR reports that residents can use the form to report ICE activity they observe.
The county's privacy statement says its online reporting forms run on a service-request system from CivicPlus LLC and its subsidiary SeeClickFix, which also powers TellHoCo, the county's app for non-emergency issues. The statement says TellHoCo reports are public and the user's display name is visible unless the user submits as "anonymous," while email addresses are never displayed publicly. It adds that the county will disclose personal information without notice only when required by law or in the good-faith belief that disclosure is necessary to comply with legal process, protect county rights or property, or protect personal safety in exigent circumstances4.
The county’s Liberty Act, CB63-2020, limits county resources used to assist federal immigration enforcement, except where legally required, according to its resources page. CB17-2026 added employee guidance, agent-interaction procedures and restrictions on access to certain nonpublic county areas; it took effect February 6, 20263.
The county's employee guidance also covers judicial warrant requirements, and WMAR notes Montgomery County launched a similar form earlier this year5.
The county should hold its own form to the same test. Its Liberty Act, CB63-2020, bars county employees from disclosing a person's immigration-status information to a third party6. Yet the county warns that what residents submit on this form may become public information1.
Sources
- Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Unveils New Tool for Reporting ICE Activity in Howard County | Howard County
- @libsoftiktok on X, 2026-10-11: BREAKING: The city of Howard County, Maryland just released an ICE snitch form so residents can report ICE activity and dox ICE’s live locations which impedes their operations https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/2109072357578907769/photo/1, 2026-10-11
- Immigration Resources | Howard County
- Privacy Statement | Howard County
- Howard County launches ICE activity reporting form
- 2021 - Howard County - CB63-20
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