Do MD Police Work With ICE? Annapolis Immigration Rally To Push New Laws

ANNAPOLIS, MD — An immigration rally will advocate for pro-immigration bills Tuesday outside the Maryland State House. The rally will be hosted by CASA, an immigration nonprofit, begins at 9 a.m. at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis.

CASA will push for bills:

• Denying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "unfettered access" to state databases.
• Protecting "sensitive locations" like hospitals, churches, courthouses and schools from immigration enforcement.
• Limiting police departments' partnership with ICE for immigration enforcement.

CASA spokesperson Jossie Flor Sapunar called it emergency legislation that "must be moved ASAP to stop the reach of ICE in Maryland."

The bills respond to the mass deportations pushed by President Donald Trump.

"How do we tell ICE 'No, you can't just waltz into a church or school,'" Flor Sapunar told Patch in an interview. "You should be able to go to somebody's funeral without having to be worried about if you're going to get picked up."

The deportation concerns have Marylanders wondering if their police departments partner with ICE. The answer is complicated, but in short, it varies by agency.

The response of many police departments depends on whether a person has an administrative (civil) or criminal immigration warrant.

Maryland State Police policy is to not ask about immigration status during routine traffic stop questioning. If a civil immigration warrant is discovered during an investigation, troopers will notify ICE, but they won't take any enforcement action or detain the person for ICE.

State Police are more cooperative with ICE when an active criminal immigration warrant is discovered. In that case, troopers will arrest the person and turn them over to ICE.

The Maryland State Police won't help ICE in investigations where the primary focus is in immigration enforcement. Troopers will, however, work with ICE when the primary focus is on cases like customs violations, money laundering, narcotics cases, hate crimes, human trafficking and terrorist activities.

The State Police policy is outlined here.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department said it will not notify ICE when it finds somebody with a civil immigration warrant, regardless of if that person is being charged with a crime.

Officers say they "can and will act" on criminal immigration warrants, however.

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Amal Awad issued this statement to Patch on Monday:

“Anne Arundel County Police Officers take an oath to uphold the law and serve our communities with integrity, fairness, and respect. This commitment extends to all individuals, regardless of their immigration status. By prioritizing safety and justice for everyone, officers foster trust and cooperation within the community, ensuring that all individuals can seek help and report crimes without fear of discrimination or deportation. The Anne Arundel County Police Department reinforces the core values of public service and community trust that are essential for effective law enforcement.”

The Anne Arundel County Police Department's ICE policy is available at this link.

Policies are less clear in the City of Annapolis.

"We are still formulating our response to ICE enforcement in Annapolis," Annapolis Police Department spokesperson Miguel Dennis told Patch in a Monday email, offering clearer details on Tuesday.

ICE has not responded to Patch's questions on its enforcement in Maryland since Trump's inauguration and partnership with local police departments. We will update this story if ICE replies.