The Trump administration is suing Maryland and accusing the state of deliberately obstructing federal immigration enforcement through a recently enacted law that limits cooperation between local authorities and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court, argues that Maryland’s Community Trust Act unlawfully interferes with the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law and violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
It marks the latest in a series of legal challenges brought by the Department of Justice against Democrat-led states and localities as the administration attempts to dismantle sanctuary policies nationwide.
DOJ Calls Maryland Law ‘Lawless’
Associate U.S. Attorney General Stanley Woodward said the lawsuit is intended to stop state efforts to undermine federal immigration laws.
“Federal immigration officers merely enforce the laws that our Nation’s elected representatives in Congress passed, reflecting the will of We the People,” Woodward said in a statement.
“Today’s suit proves that this Department will never stand for such lawless action from blue state leaders.”
According to the complaint, the Community Trust Act “jeopardizes the public safety for all Americans” by preventing local detention facilities from cooperating with ICE during arrests and deportations.
The lawsuit follows Attorney General directives issued in February 2025 ordering the Justice Department’s Civil Division to identify sanctuary policies across the country. Since then, the DOJ has filed similar lawsuits against Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, and numerous local governments.
Dispute Centers on ICE Detainers
At the heart of the case is Maryland’s requirement that correctional facilities may not transfer an inmate into federal immigration custody without a judicial warrant.
Federal officials argue that immigration enforcement routinely relies on administrative warrants issued by ICE — not warrants signed by judges — and that Maryland’s law effectively blocks lawful federal enforcement.
As evidence, DOJ attorneys cited a May 29 incident involving the Worcester County Jail.
According to the lawsuit, the facility’s warden informed ICE officers that because of the Community Trust Act, the jail would “no longer honor ICE detainers, release individuals to ICE custody, or notify ICE when individuals are in custody and ready for release.”
The lawsuit alleges the jail refused a scheduled ICE pickup that same morning and declined to transfer the detainee to federal custody.
Federal officials argue the incident demonstrates precisely how the new law obstructs immigration enforcement.
Maryland Sheriffs Also Challenged the Law
The federal lawsuit comes as Maryland’s own law enforcement community has raised concerns about the legislation.
In late May, 17 of the state’s 24 elected sheriffs filed a separate lawsuit challenging the Community Trust Act, arguing it interferes with their ability to coordinate with ICE regarding inmates who may pose public safety risks.
The sheriffs also said Gov. Wes Moore acknowledged that the legislation could have unintended consequences.
According to the sheriffs, Moore recognized the law’s potential public safety implications even as it moved toward implementation.
Moore neither signed nor vetoed the legislation. Under Maryland law, the bill automatically became law after the governor allowed the statutory review period to expire.
His office confirmed the conversation with sheriffs took place and said Moore explained why he chose not to veto the measure.
Governor Defends State’s Approach
While declining to comment directly on the DOJ lawsuit, Moore’s office defended Maryland’s immigration policy and criticized the Trump administration’s enforcement strategy.
“Maryland will work with the federal government when that coordination makes our people safer,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
“But we will not let Donald Trump’s untrained, unqualified, and unaccountable ICE agents deputize our law enforcement officers to do immigration work.”
Moore has previously argued the Community Trust Act allows local police to focus on fighting violent crime rather than serving as federal immigration agents.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, who is named as a defendant in both the DOJ lawsuit and the sheriffs’ case, declined to comment.
The Maryland case is expected to become another significant test of the limits of state sanctuary policies and the federal government’s authority over immigration enforcement.
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