Gov. Moore signs emergency legislation banning local cooperation with ICE in Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — Just over one month into the 90-day legislative session, Gov. Wes Moore signed emergency legislation into law Tuesday morning prohibiting local cooperation with ICE, outlawing 287(g) agreements in the state of Maryland, despite significant pushback from counties that currently have the agreements in place.

The bill signing is the earliest that legislation has been signed into law during Gov. Moore’s tenure in office.

“ICE is the largest law enforcement agency in America,” Gov. Moore said during his opening remarks. “We’ve seen the results of an unaccountable agency with seemingly, unlimited resources.”

“We believe in constitutional policing,” Gov. Moore said. “This legislation does not authorize the release of criminals… We do not take violent offenders lightly.”

You can watch the full bill signing here:

Senate Bill 245, and the cross-filed version in the House, are emergency bills, meaning they take effect immediately following Gov. Moore’s signature.

Nine jurisdictions in Maryland currently have 287(g) agreements, which allow detention centers to screen inmates to determine who may be in the country illegally. There are other types of 287(g) agreements as well, including the Task Force Model and Warrant Service Officer Model.

Prior to the bill signing, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins argued the plan would likely end up in court.

“What I think our challenge is a sheriff, as sheriffs, I think the challenge here is for us to find legal representation to get this into the courts,” Jenkins said.

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler has long supported the 287(g) program, and argues without the agreements in place, there could be an uptick in ICE enforcement in Maryland.

“Doing away with 287(g) has been sold by some legislators as the solution to getting ICE out of Maryland. The opposite will happen. You will still see ICE, probably in greater numbers, doing the mission that they are lawfully required and charged to do,” he said.

Democrats this legislative session, including Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk, have been clear about their opposition to the program and working with ICE in general. Banning the 287(g) program in Maryland has been a top priority for the legislative leaders, along with several other ICE-related bill proposals.

Sen. Ferguson has pushed back on Gahler’s argument that banning the 287(g) agreements would bring more immigration action, calling the argument 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,” Ferguson previously told FOX45 News.

Like Ferguson, Speaker Pena-Melnyk said she believes it’s important to ban the program because “it’s about addressing concerns of the state.”

“The people that I represent and my colleagues, we get the calls,” Pena-Melnyk said.

Poll conducted for the Maryland Freedom Caucus found approximately 54% of Marylanders support giving local jails the legal authority to run background checks on all detainees in cooperation with ICE. The Gonzales Poll, conducted Dec. 21 through Jan. 6.

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