WICOMICO CO., Md. - Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano is calling on Governor Wes Moore to veto pending legislation that would ban agreements between local agencies and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement statewide.
On Jan. 23, Giordano announced Wicomico County would become the latest Maryland county to enter into a 287(g) agreement with ICE, allowing federal agents to train, certify, and authorize local police to serve and execute immigration warrants inside county detention centers.
The future of that agreement has become uncertain, however, with the Maryland legislature fast-tracking bills that would ban 287(g) agreements with ICE and dissolve any existing agreements. Senate Bill 245 and House Bill 444 have already passed their respective chambers and are expected to reach Governor Wes Moore’s desk this week, according to the bills’ critics.
Immigration advocacy groups such as CASA lauded the bills’ support in Annapolis, saying the votes to advance them “represent a monumental shift, affirming that Maryland will no longer allow local law enforcement to be deputized as federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, a voluntary program widely condemned for fueling racial profiling, separating families, and eroding the trust that is essential for true community safety.”
On Monday, Feb. 9, Giordano joined representatives from several Maryland sheriffs’ offices in Harford County to call on Moore to veto the legislation if and when it reaches his desk
Giordano says since she took office in 2022, more than 300 undocumented individuals have been processed in Wicomico County’s correctional facility, many for serious crimes. Only one of those individuals remains in custody, according to Giordano.
“The rest have been released back into my community,” Giordano said at Monday’s press conference. “That is not compassionate policy, that is a failure in public safety. Entering into the 287(g) agreement changes that reality. It gives us lawful, controlled, and a responsible way to work with federal authorities to ensure those individuals that pose serious threats are properly identified and vetted while they are already in our custody, rather than being released back into our neighborhoods.”
Giordano went on to call the efforts in Annapolis to ban 287(g) agreements “short-sighted” and a "disservice to the people of Maryland,” urging Governor Moore to block the legislation.
However, it looks like there is virtually no chance of that happening. A statement sent to WBOC on Monday referenced comments Gov. Moore made on Friday, Feb. 6.
Gov. Moore said he's "looking forward to a bill that will make it to my desk, and I'm looking forward to signing the bill that makes it to my desk."
The governor stressed that public safety remains a top priority for his administration.
"We are going to do everything in our power to keep people safe, but that does not mean deputizing the people who are keeping people safe to go perform functions by a rogue ICE agency," said Moore.
Wicomico County’s Executive hinted at pursuing possible legal action should the bills pass and are signed by Moore, saying the county was looking at their options and into the constitutionality of the legislation.
On Tuesday, we asked Wicomico County Council President John Cannon if he would support the county taking a legal route. He told WBOC it was too premature to comment and said he and other councilmembers need to sit down with Giordano for a formal discussion before addressing this further.
Also joining Giordano and the numerous sheriffs’ offices on Monday was Patricia Morin, mother of Rachel Morin who was brutally raped and killed in Harford County in 2023 by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador.
“To say that the 287(g) program is not important to our community is to allow people like that to continue to live in our community without any means of being able to locate them and process them,” Morin said.
Both SB245 and HB444 are now awaiting a second reading in their opposite chambers. It remains to be seen, if passed, whether Moore will break with his party and veto the legislation. Should he sign the 287(g) ban, Wicomico County’s new agreement with ICE could become either moot or the catalyst of a legal showdown between the county and the state.