Both chambers of the Maryland General Assembly passed two bills to effectively end local law enforcement cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The bills would end existing and prohibit new 287(g) agreements, which allow local police and correctional officers to assist ICE with immigration enforcement duties.
The different types of 287(g) agreements include permitting police officials to ask about immigration status during an arrest and requiring local jails to check the immigration status of detainees and turn undocumented people over to ICE.
Eight Maryland jurisdictions have 287(g) cooperating agreements with ICE.
Such agreements have increased in the past year as the Trump administration carries out its immigration crackdown.
Democratic Gov. Wes Moore, who is up for reelection this year, has not publicly stated whether he supports the bills. But on Friday, his office told Baltimore’s WBAL-TV that he is “gravely concerned” about ICE’s actions in his state and across the country.
“Instead of focusing on violent offenders or public safety, the federal administration has wrecked chaos and made communities less safe,” his office said. “The governor has made crystal clear: Maryland has no place for agents who are untrained, unqualified and unaccountable.”
CASA, an immigration advocacy group, praised the legislation’s passage.
“Today’s votes represent a monumental shift, affirming that Maryland will no longer allow local law enforcement to be deputized as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, a voluntary program widely condemned for fueling racial profiling, separating families, and eroding the trust that is essential for true community safety,” the organization said in a statement.
• Mary McCue Bell can be reached at mbell@washingtontimes.com.
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