Maryland Senate Leader: Immigration Bill Won't Pass As Is

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland's Senate president says a bill that adds protections for people in the United States illegally won't pass the Senate in its current form.

Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said Wednesday that the state needs to allow immigrants "to live in freedom," but not protect felons who are in the United States illegally and end up in the judicial system.

A bill that passed the House last week would prevent authorities from stopping people solely to ask about their immigration status. It now also would block jails from holding an immigrant for up to 48 hours beyond when they would be released at the request of federal immigration officers.

Miller's comments come two days after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions urged the state not to pass the bill.

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