Posted on 03/04/25
| News Source: FOX45
Baltimore, MD - March 4, 2025 - While they sit side by side on a map, Maryland and Virginia politicians stand far apart on the issue of immigration.
Over the weekend, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order pledging “full cooperation” with federal immigration efforts.
Youngkin argues, "Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder.” He is now demanding local detention centers report detainees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Youngkin's also instructing local law enforcement to comply with ICE’s '287-G' program, which gives state police the authority to arrest undocumented immigrations with ICE oversight.
Meanwhile, in Maryland, only Cecil, Frederick, and Harford counties participate in the program. That’s because with no statewide policies in place, and cooperation varies by each county.
Maryland’s ICE Director Mathew Elliston claims in places like Prince George's and Howard counties, any cooperation with ICE is prohibited.
“Their law enforcement officers are not allowed to speak to us at all,” Elliston explained. “And it doesn’t matter what the case is, there’s no exemption for pedophiles, rapists, or murders, it’s a zero-tolerance policy for working with us.”
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, these 10 locations across the state have some form of sanctuary policy in place:
Following Youngkin’s announcement, FOX45 reached out to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, asking if he plans to take similar action. His office responded with the following statement:
The State of Maryland will continue to work with our federal law enforcement partners to combat violent crime in our state.
“My first thought was, well, that's kind of the low expectation. You're supposed to do that type of stuff,” political analyst John Dedie said. “Governor Youngkin is coming off stronger than Governor Moore is on these situations. And the thing is, you know, as I mentioned before, the public is supporting what ICE is doing."
Pointing to a recent Gonzalez Poll finding 76% of Maryland residents support ICE cooperation when arresting those who have committed crimes, Dedie argued the public doesn’t want to see Moore towing the line on immigration, and neither does the federal government.
“If the federal government lashes out against Maryland by cutting more federal employees for lashing out at various federal aid, it only harms the state's financial picture,” he said.
That picture is already looking grim with a $3 billion deficit needing to be dealt with.