Immigration activists urge Maryland lawmakers to curtail ICE's power in the state

Immigration activists rallied in Annapolis on 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, one of the bills being discussed during a Senate committee hearing, 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. 

Another bill looks to ban face coverings on any kind of law enforcement officer, including ICE officers.

The bills 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 

The amount of 287(g) agreements in Maryland have more than doubled since last year.

Currently, eight counties 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. 

In Maryland, there are two kinds of these agreements are utilized. One allows corrections officers at local jails to flag a noncitizen who is arrested to ICE and detain them for 48 hours. The other allows officers to serve and execute warrants on those who are jailed.

Sen. William C. Smith Jr., one of the sponsors of the bill looking to ban 287(g) agreements and chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, said ICE enforcement has undermined local trust with law enforcement.

He said the apprehension from passing a bill that would've enacted this ban last legislative session is practically gone.

"Since then, if you look at Medicaid, you look at SNAP, you look at funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, you look at all the things that have happened over this asymmetric presidency," Smith said. "We need to enshrine our values into law and into the constitution if necessary. Just like we did with the right to choose, because you can't control what someone else is going to do."

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler has had a 287(g) agreement in place for years. He argues these agreements ensure ICE doesn't have to be out in the community, saying without them, ICE enforcement will definitely be out in full force.

"I think we're gonna see more people scooped up in these sweeping raids, instead of the targeted, safe handoff of people who have committed other crimes in local jurisdictions -- in addition to being in the country illegally," Gahler said.

Other bills aimed at ICE

The other bill up for discussion Thursday looks to ensure ICE officers, and other law enforcement officers, won't be able to wear face coverings.

There are some exceptions, including having to wear a mask for health reasons and if the officer is undercover.

Advocates and others testifying in support of the bill said it would help make communities feel safer.

When questioned by senators, there were questions of the state's authority to enforce such a measure, as well as concerns of officers being doxxed.

CASA, an immigration advocacy organization, is supporting another bill aimed at ICE this legislative session. It would bar the agency from accessing state data for the purpose of tracking and deporting people.

This bill hasn't come up before a committee.