Tonight’s vote to advance SB245 out of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee is a critical step toward ending Maryland’s harmful entanglement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) through the 287(g) program.
Local resources should strengthen communities, not turn local law enforcement into a national deportation force. Programs like 287(g) undermine public trust, make people afraid to report crimes or seek help, and funnel people with no criminal convictions or only minor charges into the deportation pipeline. The facts are clear. 287(g) does not make our communities safer, and jurisdictions without it are seeing stronger crime reductions.
This progress reflects years of tireless organizing by community members and advocates across the state, alongside partners like CASA, who made clear that Marylanders' reject policies rooted in fear, racial profiling, and unchecked federal power.
As SB245 moves to the floor, Maryland has an opportunity to choose a different path, one that protects public safety, limits costly legal liability for local governments, and ensures that everyone in our state can live without fear that a traffic stop or call for help could lead to detention or deportation.
We urge the full Senate to pass SB245 and deliver a permanent, statewide ban on 287(g) once and for all.
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