Overview
- The Department of Justice filed a civil suit on Thursday, July 9, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland seeking to enjoin or invalidate the Community Trust Act.
- The complaint says the Community Trust Act bars holding people for ICE without a warrant except for felonies and certain sex offenses and forbids asking jailed people about their immigration status.
- DOJ alleges that after the law took effect state and local facilities refused to transfer people to federal custody when presented with routine ICE detainers, which the suit says has hindered federal enforcement.
- Maryland’s attorney general’s office declined to comment and the law already drew local pushback when 17 of the state’s 24 sheriffs sued the state and Gov. Wes Moore allowed the bill to become law without his signature.
- The Maryland case is one of about 20 similar lawsuits the DOJ Civil Division has filed challenging sanctuary policies and could prompt federal court rulings on how the Supremacy Clause governs cooperation with ICE.