Overview
- Delegates approved HB1017 to require explicit local zoning for private immigration detention centers and HB1018 to set minimum care and safety standards for detention and correctional facilities, sending both to the Senate.
- HB1018 would empower the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards to enforce compliance, including potential closures for life‑threatening conditions, while an AG memo warns of Supremacy Clause challenges if applied to federal sites.
- Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has sued to block a Department of Homeland Security warehouse purchase in Washington County slated for an ICE facility of up to 1,500 detainees.
- Senate Bill 660 would require local officers to observe and record ICE enforcement actions, and Senate Bill 791 would curb notifications and transfers to ICE without a warrant, with both measures under committee review.
- Sheriffs from several counties publicly opposed the Senate proposals, vowed to consider legal action, and said they will maintain narrow, informal cooperation such as sharing arrest sheets or brief holds within current law.