MARYLAND HOUSE, SENATE VOTE TO BAN LOCAL ICE AGREEMENTS: The Maryland Senate and House of Delegates both voted Tuesday to ban local cooperation agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in response to the Trump administration’s combative deportation efforts across the country. Madeleine O’Neill/The Baltimore Banner.
- Known as 287(g) agreements, the formalized partnerships give local law enforcement — or in Maryland’s case, only correctional officers — the ability to aid federal agents in certain immigration enforcement tactics. Sarah Petrowich/WYPR-FM.
- At least eight other states have already either prohibited or set restrictions against local police and sheriff’s offices entering into what are known as 287(g) partnerships, which enable those agencies to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement take into custody people they say are in the country illegally. New Mexico, New York, Hawaii and Virginia are considering similar bans during their 2026 state legislative sessions. Katie Mettler, Katie Shepherd and Emmanuel Martinez/The Washington Post.
COMMENTARY: ENDING LOCAL ICE COOPERATION IS A BAD IDEA: Actions have consequences and the Maryland legislature is about to take action that may result in unintended consequences. Ending state and local law enforcement cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement presents several significant challenges, potential risks and unintended consequences that warrant careful consideration. While the debate surrounding immigration enforcement is complex, maintaining collaboration between local agencies and federal immigration authorities is crucial for various reasons. Marc King/Maryland Reporter.
BALTIMORE COUNTY BILLS LIMIT ICE COOPERATION, BUT DON’T END IT: Amid growing community support for immigrant protections, the Baltimore County Council passed a pair of bills known as the Trust Act in a 4-3, party line vote. The legislation codifies the Office of Immigrant Affairs and limits the county’s ability to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Céilí Doyle/The Baltimore Banner.
9,000 CHARITIES DELINQUENT OR NOT FULLY REGISTERED WITH THE STATE: A Maryland Office of the Secretary of State division that regulates charities, many of which receive taxpayer funds, sent 8,986 notices for delinquent or incomplete registrations in fiscal 2025. Two of the recipients are set to receive millions of dollars from Baltimore City’s opioid restitution fund; another is an organization in which the wife of Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Hana Scott, is listed as an executive. Lorraine Mirabella/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE’s BUDGET GIVES MILLIONS IN TAX CUTS TO BUSINESSES: When he announced his FY2027 budget proposal, Gov. Wes Moore criticized President Donald Trump’s domestic economic policy as “the largest consolidation of upward-facing wealth we’ve seen.” But Moore’s budget takes a page from Trump’s economic agenda by doling out millions in tax cuts to businesses. Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
POLL: MARYLANDERS FAVOR CLEAN SLATE ACT FOR NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS: New polling shows a majority of Maryland voters favor legislation reducing barriers for people with non-violent conviction records to land work, get safe housing, and become self-sufficient. Aliza Worthington/Baltimore Fishbowl.
HOW BALTIMORE COUNTY POLICE HIRED A FORMER SEX OFFENDER: The 28-year-old emergency medical technician assumed her mind was playing tricks on her when she caught a glimpse of the police officer in the distance. “There’s no way the man who raped me is wearing a badge and a gun.” But it was him, in a Baltimore County police uniform. Baltimore County follows Maryland regulations when hiring police officers, which stipulate that departments can disqualify applicants with criminal histories from becoming police officers. But Maryland law does not allow police departments to make employment decisions about applicants based on expunged records. Céilí Doyle/The Baltimore Banner.
MOORE WRAPS REASONS FOR PASSING NEW MAP IN MARYLAND FLAG: Gov. Wes Moore wrapped his argument for passing a new Maryland congressional map the other day in something many Marylanders are crazy about: the Maryland state flag. Moore’s reference to the flag came during a roundabout answer to an interview question last week on The Press Box podcast, when the governor was asked whether the country is saying “they don’t want and can’t handle a Black president again.” Bryan Sears/Maryland Matters.
TWO MO CO DELEGATE CANDIDATES DO WELL IN FUND-RAISING: Two Montgomery candidates running in their first election for the House of Delegates have succeeded in gaining a major financial leg up heading into the June primary. In Bethesda/Chevy Chase-based District 16, Sarah Wolek — appointed in 2023 to fill a vacant delegate seat — has taken in $157,525, with $80,250 raised in the past year alone. In District 14, Matt Post of Olney, who announced his candidacy for an open House seat in September, reported raising $176,000 in less than five months. His campaign treasury included more than $160,200 as of mid-January. Louis Peck/Bethesda Today.
REMAINING DISTRICT 19 MONTGOMERY REPS FILE AS A SLATE: Less than a week after four-term Montgomery Del. Bonnie Cullison announced her retirement, her three District 19 colleagues — Sen. Ben Kramer and Dels. Charlotte Crutchfield and Vaughn Stewart — formally filed Monday for re-election, saying they will run together as a “coordinated team.” Louis Peck/Bethesda Today.
B’MORE IG BOARD URGES CITY AGENCIES TO COOPERATE WITH WATCHDOG: Baltimore city’s OIG citizens advisory board weighed in yesterday on the ongoing records dispute between the Scott administration and Baltimore Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming, calling on city agencies to engage in “continued collaboration” with the watchdog office. Noting that the OIG recently received hundreds of pages of redacted financial records related to a youth diversion program run by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the board stated that “delays or limitations in relevant access – regardless of their cause – can hinder timely and thorough investigations.” Mark Reutter/The Baltimore Brew.
CECIL PARAMEDICS NOW CAN GIVE PATIENTS BLOOD IN THE FIELD: Cecil County Department of Emergency Services paramedics now have the ability to treat patients with life-threatening bleeding at the scene — instead of having to wait until reaching the hospital — after joining the Prehospital Whole Blood Program. Carl Hamilton/The Cecil Whig.
