Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews spent several hours searching the Potomac River after three people ran from a commercial vehicle stop on Clara Barton Parkway involving U.S. Park Police and other federal law enforcement partners.
U.S. Park Police said officers were conducting commercial vehicle enforcement when three people got out of a vehicle and ran away. Park Police identified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the arresting agency in the case.
Swift-water boats launched from the Lock 10 area as the search unfolded. By midday, the boats and fire crews appeared to have cleared out after several hours of activity.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone who ran from the stop had been taken into custody or why the individuals were stopped.
While the search was underway, people could be seen on a Beltway overpass holding signs warning drivers about ICE activity on Clara Barton Parkway.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich criticized the operation and said the county has limited ability to intervene in ICE enforcement actions.
Elrich said the county can observe ICE operations and support families affected by them, but local police would not step in to stop an ICE operation.
“We’ve tried to be careful to not mislead people into thinking that we’ve got the ability to protect them from ICE, because we don’t,” Elrich said. “I don’t want people thinking that, you know, the police are going to run in and break up an ICE operation, because they’re not.”
WTOP has reached out to ICE for comment.
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