Marylands new law curbing cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities is already facing resistance from sheriffs who say they will continue assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through legal workarounds.
According to Fox News, the clash emerged after Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation terminating long-standing 287(g) agreements, which had allowed county sheriffs to partner directly with ICE in identifying and transferring illegal immigrants for removal. Within days of the signing, sheriffs from nine counties announced they would maintain cooperation with federal immigration officials by using other lawful mechanisms, underscoring a widening divide between progressive state lawmakers and local law enforcement committed to public safety and border enforcement.
"We can continue to work with ICE without necessarily being in the program," Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins told Fox News Digital. "We can still do the 48-hour holds on individuals with detainers, we can still contact ICE to let them know if an individual is about to be released with a detainer, we can also provide arestee lists to ICE so they can review and check it." Jenkins, whose county has operated the nations longest-running 287(g) program, stressed that these measures remain permissible under the new statute and are essential tools for keeping dangerous offenders off the streets.
Jenkins noted that over the 18-year life of Frederick Countys 287(g) partnership, local authorities have helped transfer roughly 1,890 illegal immigrants to ICE custody, a record he cites as evidence that cooperation with federal agents directly enhances community safety. The other Maryland jurisdictions that previously maintained 287(g) agreements include Wicomico, Harford, Carroll, Allegany, Cecil, Garrett, St. Marys and Washington counties, many of them more conservative areas now openly at odds with the states left-leaning leadership on immigration policy.
The sheriff warned that dismantling these formal partnerships will not halt enforcement, but instead push it into neighborhoods and workplaces, increasing public risk and tension. "This was all passed because of the current administration, and the perception of what everybody is watching on television, is also what is happening here. It's just the opposite," Jenkins said, arguing that media narratives and partisan politics are driving policy rather than facts on the ground.
He further cautioned that sidelining local jails in the transfer process will force ICE agents to conduct more at-large arrests in the community. "What we're now going to see as we release these criminals over time, and we don't turn them over to ICE in our jails, ICE is going to come out on the street to make their apprehensions," the Maryland county sheriff continued, suggesting that progressive lawmakers will bear responsibility for any resulting public safety fallout.
Fox News Digital requested comment from Moores office on the sheriffs stated intent to continue cooperating with ICE, but received no direct response. A representative instead pointed to a Garrett County Sheriffs Office press release stating that the law "does not eliminate or hinder our ability to communicate with ICE regarding the impending release of individuals of interest," an acknowledgment that even under the new restrictions, some level of coordination remains both lawful and necessary.
State legislators, however, are already moving to tighten the screws further, with additional measures expected next week that could outlaw the very workarounds Jenkins described and effectively sever local-federal cooperation.
For many conservatives, the episode highlights a broader national pattern under the Biden administration: liberal officials undermining immigration enforcement, while sheriffs and local communities attempt to uphold the rule of law, protect citizens, and support ICE in the absence of serious border security from Washingtona stark contrast to the tougher enforcement posture seen under President Donald Trump.
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