Overview
- An 11-page memo from Attorney General Anthony Brown outlines what local officers must do, may do and must not do in interactions with federal authorities.
- The guidance forbids asking about immigration status, extending detentions to check status, or enforcing and assisting with civil immigration laws.
- Officers must identify themselves by name and badge number, use body cameras under state policy, follow state use-of-force standards, and avoid treating peaceful protesters as suspects.
- The move follows a surge in ICE activity, with arrests in Maryland rising from 3.1 per day in 2023 to 9.8 per day this year, and growth to eight county 287(g) agreements that are largely jail-based.
- Several sheriffs criticized the memo as political and said it will not affect jail-based ICE collaborations, while legal experts said it clarifies on-the-ground policing and reassures communities.