Maryland, My Maryland

 Balmer Sun, Sheriffs vow to keep working with ICE even after Moore signs bill banning 287(g)

Even after Gov. Wes Moore signs a bill banning official agreements between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement across Maryland, as he’s expected to do, many local sheriffs say they will continue to work with ICE in whatever informal, legal capacity they can. “No politician or legislative body is going to tell me that I can’t communicate with another law enforcement agency on matters of public safety in my community,” Carroll County Sheriff James T. “Jim” DeWees said. “I’m not going to stop.”

The bill banning 287(g) agreements, passed by the Maryland General Assembly Thursday, is set to take effect immediately after Moore signs it. Sheriffs in the nine jurisdictions with 287(g) agreements said they would comply with the bill and end their agreements, but emphasized they would continue to communicate and work with ICE in a legal capacity, and also explore legal challenges to the bill.

“This is all political,” said Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins. “You can put any lipstick you want on it; it’s all political. The Democrats don’t want any cooperation with ICE. They don’t want any enforcement whatsoever.” Jenkins and DeWees are both Republicans; Moore is a Democrat. All three are running for reelection this year.

The 287(g) agreements give ICE authority over state and local law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement duties. Nine Maryland counties have agreements with ICE: Frederick, Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, St. Mary’s, Washington and Wicomico.

Cecil, Frederick and Harford operate under a “jail model,” which authorizes correctional officers to screen detainees for immigration status and contact ICE. The other six counties use the “warrant model,” under which officers cooperate with ICE only when there is an active Department of Homeland Security warrant.

The sheriffs warn that once ICE agreements are ended, an increased ICE presence in communities and street apprehensions will become the norm.

Jenkins, who said he has the longest-running 287(g) program in the country, said he expects more “criminal elements” to enter and operate in Maryland as a result of this bill’s approval. “There will be protections here for them, so I think you’re going to see an influx of criminals, people with criminal intent, maybe criminal gangs, transnational criminal gangs,” Jenkins said.

DeWees, who entered into a 287(g) agreement about a year ago, said no deputy or police officer in Carroll County “runs around and helps with immigration enforcement.” County policy prohibits it.  Once the agreement is void, he predicts “public safety chaos, like we’re seeing in Minneapolis.” “ICE is going to be up here searching for them in the community,” DeWees said.

Notable here is that the counties mentioned are all in the more rural pink areas of Maryland. I'm a bit surprised (and disappointed) that Calvert County, also pink, is not mentioned. The blue urban counties, Balmer, Monkey and PG, are all content to allow illegal aliens to commit crimes against their legal residents.