ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — With the first few days of the 2026 legislative session complete, immigration has emerged as one of the top issues expected to be debated.
Senate Bill 1 was introduced on the first day of the legislative session and it calls to ban face coverings for regular law enforcement activities. Senate President Bill Ferguson has taken issue with images emerging of federal immigration agents covering their faces during immigration enforcement activity.
“By having masked police officers run up – I mean, I know how I would feel if a masked officer ran up to my car without identification, it would be terrifying,” Ferguson said during an interview on FOX45 News In Depth with Mikenzie Frost. “And so that approach, that paramilitary approach, it destroys trust. And that cannot be how we approach law enforcement and public safety in the state of Maryland.”
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A similar effort in California is being litigated, and court challenges are something Sen. Ferguson said he’s aware of and will be cognizant of as Maryland’s bill works through the legislative process.
“We’re realistic that Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal agency. And so where there is federal preemption, we recognize that we’re going to have to figure out how to legislate appropriately there,” Ferguson explained.
But, that’s not the only bill up for debate in Annapolis this year. There’s also an effort to ban the 287(g) program in Maryland, which is a corrections-based partnership with federal immigration officials. Currently, there are eight counties with the program in place, including Harford County; Sheriff Jeff Gahler has long supported the partnership and said eliminating it would impact public safety.
“You’re going to see us participating in this program open our jail doors to these criminal offenders, people arrested for other things not related to immigration, open our jail arrested in,” Gahler said.
However, Senate President Ferguson pushed back on that argument and called it a fear tactic.
“I mean, I think if you think what ICE is doing and you’re worried about more ICE agents being out in communities, we have a fundamental problem, full stop,” he said Friday.
There are some concerns though that banning the program, and pushing other immigration related bills, could put a national target on Maryland.
“If Maryland moves in the wrong direction and does away with these sorts of agreements, I think we’ll see more sweeping ICE operations, I think we’ll see more deportation proceedings, and we will see ICE carrying out their required, lawful mission – things that they’re allowed to do – here in a much more aggressive manner if you will,” Gahler said. “I think we will be Minneapolis number two.”
When asked about that concern, Senate President Ferguson did acknowledge it, but said it didn’t concern him as much as the current immigration enforcement activities.
“Am I concerned that there could be a consequence? Yes,” he said. “But, the consequence that I’m most worried about is failing to live up to our values as Marylanders and as Americans that believe that the United States is a land of opportunity.”
Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.
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