Contractors working for the Anne Arundel County government must now sign affidavits saying they will not hire illegal immigrants - or face losing their jobs.

“During the budget cycle, I eliminated monies for groups providing assistance to illegal immigrants ... and this is consistent with that philosophy,” said County Executive John R. Leopold, who issued the edict in an executive order Tuesday afternoon.

Federal law prohibits the hiring of illegal immigrants, and Leopold’s order takes it a step further by requiring certified written statements, said county attorney Jonathan Hodgson.

“This is a means of making it very clear what the county position is,” Leopold said.

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Hodgson said the penalty for violating the affidavit is the termination of the contract.

It is unclear if the county has ever had to fire a contractor for hiring illegal immigrants. Fred Schram, director of the county’s Central Services agency that handles purchasing and contracts, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Leopold’s order came out the same day Howard County Ken Ulman announced he fired a housekeeper who was an illegal immigrant. Leopold said the timing of the order’s release had nothing to do with the Ulman incident, and he declined to comment about his counterpart.

“I don’t have a housekeeper,” Leopold said.

Leopold was criticized for cutting grant funding to Hispanic support groups, which was part of his major funding cut to many other county nonprofits to reduce government spending.

jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com