Gov. Wes Moore said Maryland will follow the Constitution regarding President Donald Trump’s commitment to deport people who have entered the country illegally.

“We are going to follow the Constitution here,” Moore, a Democrat, said at an event in Baltimore on Monday. “We are going to make sure that our local jurisdictions are following the Constitution, and we are going to make sure … we are getting violent offenders off of our streets and out of our neighborhoods, frankly, regardless of where they come from.”

Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, also provided updated guidance to state and local law enforcement Monday, reminding officers that they are not required to share information regarding a person’s immigration status with ICE officials. The Constitution, along with federal and state law, delineates when members of law enforcement in Maryland can assist or provide information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers.

Repeating the talking points from when he previously addressed the issue, Moore said that the United States has “a broken immigration system” and that a “greater sense of clarity and leadership” in Washington, D.C., is necessary to fix it.

State lawmakers have passed policies to protect Maryland’s immigrant communities.

In 2021, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation largely along party lines to prohibit counties from entering into agreements with ICE to detain immigrants on its behalf. The same year, another law was enacted requiring state employees to deny the inspection of files containing photos or personal information for immigration enforcement purposes unless the requester has a valid warrant.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, vetoed both bills. His vetoes were overridden — again, along party lines — during a special legislative session in December 2021.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat representing South Baltimore, said Tuesday that the policy passed in 2021 made a statement that “our state and local officials are not immigration enforcement agents.”

“We have limited resources to deal with crime in communities, and immigration is inherently a federal responsibility, and so it should be federal resources that are focused on immigration issues,” he said.

For those who are fearful of potential interactions with ICE officers, Moore said at the event that state and local jurisdictions will follow the law but also protect people’s “humanity.”

“When we’re talking about the fear that many immigrant communities are feeling in the state of Maryland, that includes my family members,” the governor said. “I want for the people of this state to know that we are going to make sure that we are following the Constitution.”

While in session, the Maryland General Assembly is actively working to respond to Trump’s immigration policy.

Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith and House Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair Jheanelle Wilkins, both Montgomery County Democrats, are jointly working on a bill that would prohibit officials from cooperating with ICE in hospitals, schools, courthouses and places of worship, or “sensitive locations.”

“No one in Maryland should live in fear of being targeted in spaces intended to provide security, care, and justice,” Wilkins said in a statement last week. “Schools, hospitals, and courthouses must remain havens, not sites of intimidation or harm by ICE.”

In the meantime, Brown issued guidance Tuesday for health care providers regarding immigration enforcement at their facilities. He said that ICE enforcement officials generally can only enter into restricted spaces if they have a judicial warrant and suggests that, upon their arrival, providers immediately contact legal counsel.

“No Marylander, regardless of immigration status, should have to choose between their health and safety,” Brown said in a statement. “This guidance helps health care providers understand what to do when facing immigration authorities so they can protect patients, follow the law, and provide top-notch care.”

Expanding on the 2021 legislation prohibiting local jurisdictions from detaining immigrants for ICE, Smith is also working on legislation to limit Maryland law enforcement’s ability to notify ICE through the agency’s 287(g) program after someone has been arrested.

Regarding Maryland’s current 287(g) program, he said it’s difficult to discern between people who have histories of violence and people who have been picked up for nonviolent offenses, like shoplifting.

Cecil, Harford and Frederick counties are currently the only jurisdictions in Maryland that participate in this program. Smith said he visited Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler Monday to walk through how the program is administered.

Smith acknowledged that the Trump administration has said they are going to start implementing the president’s immigration policy by targeting people who have committed violent acts, but said “they fully intend on broadening the aperture to get everybody.”

“I think I’ve taken him at his word,” Smith said of Trump. “I never thought you’d see a blanket pardon for Jan[uary] sixers. You did. I fully expect that he will follow through [on] this campaign promise.”

Have a news tip? Contact Hannah Gaskill at hgaskill @baltsun.com.