U.S. DOJ sues Maryland over law blocking police from assisting federal agents

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Maryland over what it calls "sanctuary policies."

The lawsuit argues that Maryland's new law, called the Community Trust Act, blocking local police from assisting federal agents, is unconstitutional. The DOJ says the law obstructs both Congress and the president.

The lawsuit asks a judge to prohibit the state from enforcing the law. It argues that President Trump has the "authority to arrest, detain, and remove aliens unlawfully in the U.S."

The Community Trust Act was passed as emergency legislation in May. It prevents law enforcement from holding someone for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without a warrant, except for felony crimes and sex offenders. 

Under the act, authorities are also barred from asking those detained in local jails about their immigration status.

The Community Trust Act was fast-tracked through Maryland's General Assembly and was passed on the final day of the legislative session.

Maryland Senator Clarence Lam, who sponsored the Community Trust Act, previously told CBS News Baltimore that the law prevents a workaround by some sheriffs who were still communicating with federal officials despite a previous ban on 287(g) agreements.    

"The challenged provisions of Maryland law reflect an effort to obstruct the operation of federal immigration law and to impede the consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law enforcement officials that is necessary for federal officials to carry out federal immigration law and keep Americans safe," the lawsuit says.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown's office declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The DOJ is also suing 20 other states over similar policies, including Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York.

"The American people are ultimately the ones who suffer when states pass these irresponsible sanctuary policies," said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, of the Justice Department's Civil Division.  "The Department of Justice will always defend the Constitution and the rule of law, and it does so today by challenging Maryland's efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement."