Photo: Alamy
The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Thursday against the state of Maryland and Attorney General Anthony Brown, alleging the state’s sanctuary policies interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
The lawsuit challenges Maryland’s Community Trust Act, which limits the extent to which state and local law enforcement agencies may cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
“Federal immigration officers merely enforce the laws that our Nation’s elected representatives in Congress passed, reflecting the will of We the People,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward.
“When sanctuary jurisdictions enact laws to shield illegal aliens from federal law enforcement, it is not merely federal law that is violated, but the voices of everyday American voters silenced. Today’s suit proves that this Department will never stand for such lawless action from blue state leaders,” he added.
According to the Justice Department, the law has hindered immigration enforcement by preventing state and local facilities from assisting with the transfer of people in the country illegally to federal custody, even when federal officials issue routine immigration detainers.
The department argues that Maryland’s policies conflict with federal law and are preempted by the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
In announcing the lawsuit, the Justice Department said Maryland’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities has created operational challenges and placed public safety at risk.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal challenges brought by the department against jurisdictions with sanctuary policies. According to the DOJ, it has now filed 20 lawsuits against states and localities, including Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois and New York.
A spokesperson for Gov. Wes Moore criticized the lawsuit and defended the state’s approach to immigration enforcement.
“Maryland will work with the federal government when that coordination makes our people safer, but we will not let Donald Trump’s untrained, unqualified, and unaccountable ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents deputize our law enforcement officers to do immigration work,” spokesperson Rhyan Lake said.
Moore did not sign the Community Trust Act when it reached his desk. Instead, he allowed the measure to become law without his signature.