Maryland’s laws restricting ICE now cover jails, schools, hospitals, and private detention sites, and state courts have intervened against both the conditions at Baltimore’s ICE holding facility and the construction of a new detention center near Hagerstown. The push between Maryland and ICE accelerated through 2025 and 2026, producing a stack of new statutes, a federal lawsuit from 17 county sheriffs, and a sharp rise in federal arrests inside the state. Here is what is actually in force, what is being fought over, and where that leaves residents.
What Local Police and Jails Can Do
Two laws govern how Maryland law enforcement interacts with ICE.
The first is the 287(g) ban. On February 17, 2026, Governor Wes Moore signed emergency legislation (SB 245/HB 444) that prohibits any Maryland state or local jurisdiction from deputizing officers to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement. All existing 287(g) agreements had to end immediately. Nine counties had active agreements when the law passed: Cecil, Frederick, and Harford, which had participated for years, plus Allegany, Carroll, Garrett, St. Mary’s, and Washington, which had signed on during the 2025 enforcement expansion.1Office of the Governor of Maryland. Governor Moore Signs Legislation to Prohibit Maryland Jurisdictions From Deputizing Officers for Federal Civil Immigration Enforcement2Maryland Matters. As Immigration Arrests Surge, So Does Number of Maryland Sheriffs Agreeing to Work With ICE The law does not prevent local agencies from notifying ICE about releases, cooperating on criminal investigations, or coordinating transfers of people wanted for violent crimes.
The second is the Community Trust Act (SB 791), which closes the informal pipeline. According to the ACLU of Maryland, roughly 80% of ICE arrests in Maryland jails before February 2026 happened through voluntary tipoffs or hold-overs rather than through formal 287(g) agreements.3ACLU of Maryland. The Truth About the Community Trust Act – Myths vs. Facts The Act bars local law enforcement from accepting administrative ICE warrants, from notifying ICE of a person’s custody status, and from detaining people for immigration purposes, unless specific conditions are met: a felony conviction, a prior sentence of at least 12 months in a Maryland facility, a requirement to register as a sex offender, or a judicial warrant.4WYPR. Maryland Enacts Three New Immigration Reform Laws While Community Trust Act Waits in the Wings
The bill was enrolled on April 13, 2026.5Maryland General Assembly. SB0791 – Legislation Details Governor Moore let it become law without his signature in May 2026, citing concerns about implementation on joint investigations but supporting its purpose.6Maryland Matters. Moore Will Let Community Trust Act Become Law Without His Signature On June 22, 2026, Attorney General Anthony Brown issued guidance directing that local correctional facilities may not notify ICE of a person’s custody status or provide advance notice of release absent a qualifying conviction or valid judicial warrant.7Office of the Attorney General of Maryland. Attorney General Brown Issues Updated Immigration Enforcement Guidance for Law Enforcement
The Sheriffs’ Lawsuit
Sheriffs from 17 of Maryland’s 24 counties sued in federal court on May 26, 2026, seeking to block the Community Trust Act. The case, Gahler v. Moore, No. 8:26-cv-02057, was filed in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt and names the governor, the attorney general, and the state as defendants. Backed by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the sheriffs argue the Act “intentionally obstructs federal law enforcement” and object specifically to the requirement that they honor only judicial warrants, not administrative ones, calling it a “roadblock to the commonsense enforcement of the law.”8Maryland Matters. County Sheriffs File Lawsuit Challenging Community Trust Act9WTOP. MD County Sheriffs File Lawsuit Challenging Community Trust Act No hearings had been scheduled as of late June 2026. Until a court rules otherwise, the law is in effect.
Protections at Schools, Hospitals, and Detention Sites
Three additional 2026 laws extend restrictions beyond the jail door.
The Maryland Values Act (SB 810) bars public school employees from assisting in immigration enforcement or sharing student data with ICE absent a judicial warrant, and requires staff to notify county superintendents of any immigration enforcement activity at schools. Governor Moore signed it on April 28, 2026, effective immediately.4WYPR. Maryland Enacts Three New Immigration Reform Laws While Community Trust Act Waits in the Wings
SB 792 requires the State Health Services Cost Review Commission to publish a model policy for hospitals responding to immigration enforcement on their premises by October 1, 2026, with hospitals required to adopt their own policies by January 1, 2027.4WYPR. Maryland Enacts Three New Immigration Reform Laws While Community Trust Act Waits in the Wings
HB 1017 prohibits state and local governments from approving the use of a building as a private immigration detention facility unless the site is explicitly zoned for that use. Violations carry fines of up to $10,000 per day. The ban was signed as emergency legislation and applies retroactively.10WYPR. Immigrant Detention Center Regulation Bills Advance to Maryland House for Full Vote
The Face Covering Rule for Officers
SB 1 requires the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission to develop a policy prohibiting law enforcement officers, including federal agents, from wearing face coverings while on duty. A violation carries a $1,500 civil penalty. Exceptions apply for undercover work, protective equipment, and religious attire. Governor Moore signed the bill on May 26, 2026, and it takes effect October 1, 2026.11Maryland General Assembly. SB0001 – Legislation Details
Court Orders Against ICE in Maryland
Two federal cases have produced active orders constraining ICE operations in the state.
The first concerns the ICE holding facility at the George H. Fallon Federal Building in Baltimore, designed for stays of no more than 12 hours but used in practice for days. On March 6, 2026, U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin issued a preliminary injunction in D.N.N., et al. v. Liggins, et al. (Case No. 1:25-cv-01613-JRR), finding conditions likely violated the Fifth Amendment. She certified the detainees as a class, capped the facility’s population at 56 across its five cells, and ordered ICE to conduct medical screenings within 12 hours of arrival, provide access to prescription medication within 24 hours of intake, and perform daily cleaning with access to basic hygiene supplies.12The Daily Record. ICE Hold Room Baltimore13U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. D.N.N. v. Liggins Memorandum Opinion A congressional delegation that toured the facility on March 9, 2026, found more than 225 people inside a space with a stated capacity of 55; prior reports had documented people sleeping on concrete and Legionella bacteria in the water system.14WYPR. Maryland Lawmakers Tour ICE Facility, Decry Overcrowding Judge Rubin rejected the Justice Department’s argument that an injunction would impede enforcement, writing that the agency must operate “within the confines of the Constitution.”15The Banner. Judge Orders ICE to Limit Detainees in Baltimore Holding Room Attorney General Brown separately filed suit on March 10, 2026, to compel ICE and DHS to turn over records subpoenaed in a state civil rights investigation of the facility.16Office of the Attorney General of Maryland. Attorney General Brown Files Lawsuit to Force ICE to Turn Over Records
The second order halted a new detention center. In January 2026, DHS moved to purchase a commercial warehouse near Williamsport to convert into an ICE facility holding up to 1,500 people, at a reported purchase price of $102 million.17Earthjustice. Court Halts Construction of Hagerstown Migrant Detention Center3ACLU of Maryland. The Truth About the Community Trust Act – Myths vs. Facts Washington County said DHS asserted authority over local zoning under the Supremacy Clause and that the county could not restrict the project.18Washington County, Maryland. Washington County Statement on Proposed ICE Facility The Attorney General sued, and on April 15, 2026, a court granted a preliminary injunction in State of Maryland v. Mullin (Case No. 72313096), halting construction for the duration of the litigation. Senator Chris Van Hollen said the facility carried a potential three-year operating cost of more than $640 million.14WYPR. Maryland Lawmakers Tour ICE Facility, Decry Overcrowding
What Federal Enforcement Looks Like on the Ground
The legal fight has unfolded alongside a sharp increase in ICE activity. Between January and October 2025, ICE arrested 3,308 people in Maryland, compared with 1,165 in the same period of 2024, an increase of 184%. Baltimore City accounted for 17% of those arrests, 23 took place at courthouses, and 205 occurred at detention centers.19WBAL-TV. Data Shows ICE Arrests Nearly Tripled in Maryland in 2025 Through late June 2025, roughly 40% of people detained had no criminal record, 45% had prior convictions, and 15% had pending charges, with advocates reporting arrests at workplaces and routine check-ins and transfers to out-of-state facilities.20Maryland Matters. In Rush for Immigration Arrests, a Shift by ICE to Incredibly Aggressive Tactics
On the morning of June 11, 2026, ICE agents pursued a vehicle into the parking lot of Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore during student drop-off. Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez, 39, and Adriana Gavilan Sanchez, 37, were arrested. DHS said Acevedo-Sanchez “violently resisted arrest” and used his vehicle to drag an officer. Two children in the car were placed with an aunt.21CNN. Baltimore School ICE Arrest Both adults were charged federally, though attorneys who filed habeas corpus petitions on June 12 noted the charges had not yet appeared in court records as of June 15. Judge Rubin issued a show-cause order requiring the administration to explain by June 18 why she should not enjoin the detention and order a bond hearing.22The Daily Record. Habeas Petition Filed Over ICE School Arrests Baltimore City Public Schools said it did not coordinate with ICE. ICE said it “does not target schools” but would “not allow criminals to hide in our nation’s schools.”23WBAL-TV. ICE Incident at Baltimore Commodore John Rodgers School
The due-process stakes are illustrated by the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case. A Salvadoran national living in Maryland, Abrego Garcia held a 2019 immigration judge’s order protecting him from deportation based on a “clear probability of future persecution” in El Salvador. On March 15, 2025, he was deported anyway and sent to El Salvador’s Center for Terrorism Confinement. The government acknowledged the deportation was an “administrative error.”24ABC News. Timeline of the Wrongful Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia On April 10, 2025, in Noem v. Abrego Garcia, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled the government must “facilitate” his release and treat the case as if the improper removal had never occurred.25Supreme Court of the United States. Noem v. Abrego Garcia He was returned on June 6, 2025, to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee. On May 22, 2026, U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. dismissed that case in a 32-page opinion, finding the prosecution was rooted in “vindictive motives” to punish Abrego Garcia for fighting his deportation.26The New York Times. Abrego Garcia Case Dismissed
Where to Get Help
On June 5, 2026, Governor Moore signed an executive order creating the Maryland Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force, a 12-month initiative focused on fraud and exploitation targeting immigrants and on strengthening enforcement of anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation laws.27Office of the Governor of Maryland. Governor Moore Signs Executive Order Creating Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force
The Maryland Department of Human Services maintains a page with resources for immigrants, including guidance on designating standby guardians for children (valid for up to 180 days without a court filing), information about legal assistance through the Maryland Immigrant Legal Assistance Project, and links to the ICE detainee locator and know-your-rights materials from the Attorney General’s office and the ACLU.28Maryland Department of Human Services. Immigration Enforcement Information for Marylanders29Montgomery County, Maryland. Know Your Rights30Montgomery County, Maryland. Montgomery County Statement on Federal Designation31WBAL-TV. Trump Designates Maryland Counties as Sanctuary Jurisdictions
One boundary worth stating plainly: none of Maryland’s laws limit what ICE itself can do inside the state. They restrict state and local cooperation, bar private detention siting, and set standards for schools and hospitals. Federal agents retain their federal authority, which is why court orders rather than state statutes have been the tool used to constrain conditions at the Baltimore facility and construction near Hagerstown.