Overview
- Maryland’s Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee heard testimony Thursday after a packed rally in Annapolis pushed for passage.
- SB245, led by Senate President Bill Ferguson with Sens. William C. Smith Jr. and Karen Lewis Young, would prohibit new 287(g) pacts and unwind current ones.
- Eight counties — Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Washington and St. Mary’s — would have to end their arrangements by July 2026.
- Advocacy groups including CASA and the ACLU say the bill would improve cooperation with police in immigrant communities.
- Sheriffs and GOP lawmakers argue the program aids public safety and warn of lost federal support, noting ICE arrests in Maryland nearly tripled from 2024 to 2025.