Legislation to ban immigration agreements between local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will return in the 2026 legislative session, after a year in which ICE raids have become increasingly aggressive and divisive.
Lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully before to block 287(g) agreements, which delegate certain immigration enforcement abilities to local police, but those bills have failed so far.
But in the past year, ICE tactics have become increasingly brazen under the anti-immigration administration of President Donald Trump (R), which has aggressively sought to expand federal involvement in local police enforcement. So far this year, according to the immigrant rights group CASA, Maryland law enforcement agencies have transferred 119 immigrants from local jails into ICE custody.
“This bill is about community,” Del. Nicole Williams (D-Prince George’s) said Friday, as she pledged to reintroduce a version of the Maryland Values Act that she sponsored last year.
“This bill is about ensuring that every community here in the state of Maryland is seen and is heard and is protected. This is about ensuring that our law enforcement is acting in the best interest of all of our communities throughout this entire state,” said Williams, backed by dozens of supporters at the CASA Welcome Center in Baltimore.
Lawmakers last year passed parts of Williams’ bill, including language to help “sensitive locations” like churches and schools decide how to respond if immigration agents show, and some privacy protections for migrant data. But the 287(g) provision, that would have prohibited local jurisdictions from entering into ICE agreements, was taken out on the last day of the session by the Senate.
For the upcoming session that begins Jan. 14, Williams said similar language may be incorporated into legislation for jurisdictions with current agreements with ICE would have a year to terminate them.
On Friday, Sen. President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) expressed his support of the 287(g) ban.
“Now is the time to prohibit 287(g) agreements between ICE and law enforcement agencies in Maryland,” he said in a social media post. “Recent months demonstrate that ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are operating with impunity, violating constitutional rights of American citizens and immigrants alike. For our law enforcement agencies to maintain the public trust, they cannot aid and abet that lawlessness.”
His comments came a day after Maryland House Democrats posted a video on social media emphasizing that they had voted to ban 287(g) agreements – twice.
“Maryland law enforcement should not be an arm of [President Donald] Trump’s extreme agenda,” the post said.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown (D) issued guidance last month to remind what local law enforcement agencies can do when working with federal authorities. One provision noted in the document prohibits civil immigration enforcement and for Maryland officers to perform “the functions of an immigration officer.”
Five sheriff’s offices in Maryland have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE this year: Allegany, Carroll, Garrett, St. Mary’s and Washington counties. Three others in Cecil, Frederick and Harford counties already had agreements in place.
Law enforcement officials have said the program ensures partnership with federal authorizes and protects communities from criminals. Del. Chris Tomlinson (R-Frederick and Carroll) said in an interview Friday the program in Frederick has “worked great.”
Tomlinson pointed to the killing this summer of DaCara Thompson, a 19-year-old Prince George’s County woman. Hugo Hernandez-Mendez, 35, was indicted last month in the killing.
Immigration officials said Hernandez-Mendez is a Guatemalan native who has lived and worked in the U.S. illegally for more than three years. According to various news reports, he had been pulled over by U.S. Park Police in April and arrested for driving under the influence and other charges but was released.
“We have a serious issue where we have people in our country who shouldn’t be here,” Tomlinson said. “Not only is it a crime just to be here illegally, but they have committed other illegal acts. Maybe if they had a 287(g) program, maybe that guy would not have ever got out of that DUI and that girl would still be alive.”
Tomlinson continued: “It’s just appalling that Democrats turn a blind eye to stories like that.”
One jurisdiction on the Eastern Shore – Wicomico County – discussed about the possibility of entering a 287(g) agreement during a workshop session Nov. 4. But Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano (R) suggested holding off on any decision because the General Assembly might make changes to the 287(g) program.
Wicomico County Sheriff Michael A. Lewis said the attorney general’s office recent guidance “has made it very difficult, if not impossible, for our county executive, working with my office to move forward to further protect the American people. A partnership that would continue to prioritize public safety over Maryland politics.”
Monica Brooks, president of the Wicomico County NAACP, said Friday at the CASA center in Baltimore that the community was a major reason the County Council “backed down” and decided to hold off on entering a 287(g) agreement.
“We call on a ban for 287(g), period,” Brooks said. “Let’s be humane and let’s act like we give a darn about the people that we’re supposed to represent. If you don’t agree with this, then you need to be voted out.”