Maryland Immigration Bill Dies in the Senate

The Maryland state Senate on Monday night failed to advance a bill that prohibited the state’s law enforcement agencies from assisting federal immigration officers without a judicial warrant.

House Bill 1362, also known as “Trust Bill”, if it had become law, would have barred law enforcement, unless they have a judicial warrant, from:

1. transferring an individual to federal immigration purposes of immigration enforcement
2. detaining an individual
3. notifying federal immigration authorities of release information

The bill would also have prevented law enforcement agencies in the state from stopping, arresting, searching, or detaining an individual for the sole purpose of investigating a suspected immigration violation, or from asking individuals about their immigration status.

While supporters of the bill said it would keep trust between police and the community and make victims or witnesses of crime to report crime without fear of deportation, those who oppose it said it would make Maryland a sanctuary state and allow undocumented immigrants who commit crimes to remain on the streets. They also said it would make Maryland a magnet for undocumented immigrants.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has vowed to vote the bill if it got to his desk.