Immigration activists urge Maryland lawmakers to end local law enforcement partnerships with ICE
Immigration activists rallied in Annapolis Thursday to urge Maryland lawmakers to support a bill that would end local law enforcement partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The legislation, which is the subject of a Senate hearing Thursday, targets 287(g) agreements, or partnerships between ICE and local law enforcement agencies.
The agreements allow local police officials to be deputized as ICE agents. The proposed bill would end those agreements across Maryland.
The bill, SB245, would prohibit state employees, agencies, officers, and county sheriffs from entering into 287(g) agreements and would require that any existing agreements be terminated by July 2026.
The bill is being sponsored by Senate President Bill Ferguson along with Sens. William C. Smith, Jr. and Karen Lewis Young.
"287(g) agreements are not needed to keep people safe. Ending these agreements will instead increase trust and cooperation between local law enforcement and the residents they serve," a spokesperson for CASA, an immigration advocacy organization, said in a statement.
The bill would have to be passed by the state House and Senate before it is sent to the governor's desk.
WJZ has reached out to the ICE for comment.
287(g) agreements in Maryland
Currently, Maryland has eight counties that have 287(g) agreements: Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Washington and St. Mary's counties.
The agreements between ICE and local law enforcement agencies have increased across the U.S. in the past year as the Trump administration continues to carry out a crackdown on immigration.
There are different types of 287 (g) agreements, including some that grant police officials permission to ask about immigration status during an arrest, and others that allow officers to carry out immigration enforcement duties.