FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today released updated guidance for state and local law enforcement outlining their role in federal immigration enforcement. The updated guidance incorporates the requirements of the Community Trust Act, which became State law in May 2026, and other recently enacted laws.
The guidance is designed to help law enforcement agencies throughout Maryland understand and comply with their obligations under both State and federal law while protecting individual constitutional rights and serving all Marylanders.
“Maryland has made clear through the Community Trust Act that our law enforcement agencies have one objective: keeping all Marylanders safe, including members of our immigrant communities,” said Attorney General Brown. “This guidance gives every law enforcement agency in the State the clear direction they need to follow the law, keep our communities safe, and protect and serve all Marylanders.”
The guidance applies to all State and local law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities and has been shared with those agencies today. Attorney General Brown is making the document publicly available in the interest of transparency. Key updates reflected in the guidance include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Local correctional facilities (including the pre-trial facilities run by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services) may not notify ICE of the custody status, or provide advance notice of release, of individuals without certain criminal convictions, absent a valid judicial warrant or court order;
- State correctional facilities must notify ICE within 48 hours before releasing an individual who is the subject of a detainer accompanied by a Form I-205 warrant of removal or deportation;
- Law enforcement officers generally may not share information obtained in the course of their duties with federal immigration authorities, with limited exceptions for court orders and criminal investigations. This prohibition does not apply to citizenship or immigration status information; and
- Units of state and local government are prohibited from entering into 287(g) agreements or other agreements authorizing the enforcement of civil immigration laws.
The guidance is available on the Office of the Attorney General’s website at https://oag.maryland.gov/FederalActionsResponse/Pages/guidance-on-rights-and-protections-under-maryland-law.aspx.
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