The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Maryland on Thursday over its new immigration enforcement policy.
The Community Trust Act – which Gov. Wes Moore let go into law without his signature in May – limits when local law enforcement can communicate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and how long local jails can hold undocumented detainees.
Under the law, local law enforcement is only able to contact ICE for removal proceedings — with the ultimate intent of deportation — if an individual in custody has been convicted of a felony, has previously been sentenced to at least 12 months of incarceration in a Maryland correctional facility, was required to register as a sex offender or completed at least five years of incarceration in another state.
