Overview
- Seventeen county sheriffs have sued in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt to stop the Community Trust Act from taking effect, arguing the law unlawfully obstructs federal immigration enforcement and breaches their duty to uphold the Constitution.
- The Community Trust Act, passed as emergency legislation and set to take effect in early June, bars local authorities from holding people on ICE administrative requests except for serious felonies and registered sex offenders and bans asking jail detainees about immigration status.
- The Federation for American Immigration Reform prepared and filed the complaint on behalf of the sheriffs and names the state, Governor Wes Moore, and Attorney General Anthony Brown as defendants.
- Governor Moore declined to veto the law, saying he supports its goal of keeping local police focused on local crime while warning that the bill presents real implementation challenges that will require executive fixes or future legislation.
- If the courts allow the law to stand, counties will face immediate operational changes in how jails handle ICE notices, a shift that could lead to releases of detainees wanted by federal immigration authorities and prompt further legal and policy battles.