Montgomery County encourages immigrants to call 911 after decline in non-English emergency calls

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Montgomery County is launching a campaign to encourage non-English speakers to call 911 after officials say use of its interpretation services dropped sharply in 2025.

“In Montgomery County, public safety means safety for everyone,” said Jamila Winder, chair of the county Board of Commissioners, in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring that every resident feels informed, supported, and empowered to call 911 without fear.”

The county’s analysis of data from its 911 center revealed that in 2025, overall use of Language Line, which provides interpretation services for more than 240 languages in real time, was down 12.4% from 2024.

Spanish-language calls, which represent more than 80% of Language Line calls, decreased by nearly 14% — far outpacing the overall 7.3% year-over-year decrease in 911 calls.

Nelly Jiménez-Arévalo, director of the county’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, called the decrease in 911 calls by non-English speakers a “troubling trend” in a statement. County officials say it may be tied to fears sparked by the increase in immigration enforcement throughout the county since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in January 2025.

Jiménez-Arévalo said officials are launching a “proactive, culturally responsive outreach campaign” to build trust between the county’s nearly 100,000 immigrant residents and public safety officials.

“Everyone in Montgomery County deserves to feel safe seeking help, regardless of language or immigration status,” she said.

The county’s Department of Public Safety and its Office of Immigrant Affairs are distributing fact sheets about 911 in several languages, including Bengali, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

“When our neighbors are afraid to call the police to report robbery or assault because of their immigration status, we are all less safe. When people are afraid to receive lifesaving or life-sustaining services or health care because they are afraid that they will be asked a question that will result in their families being separated, we are all less well off,” said Commissioner Neil Makhija in a statement. “When you call Montgomery County’s 911 Center, we don’t ask where you’re from—we ask what you need.”

In March, the Board of Commissioners approved a resolution restricting immigration enforcement activity on county property. The legislation also codified county policy restricting information-sharing with federal immigration enforcement agents and commissioners’ commitment to not entering into a collaboration agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.