Sheriffs plot ICE ‘workarounds’ after new Maryland law bans police cooperation

Maryland’s plan to end local law enforcement’s cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement has hit a snag, as many local sheriffs plan to continue evasion efforts that still keep them in compliance with state law.

After Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation this week to end longstanding programs known as 287(g) cooperative agreements between local law enforcement and ICE, sheriffs in nine counties said they would continue to work with federal immigration agents.

“We can continue to work with ICE without necessarily participating in the program,” Charles Jenkins, sheriff of Fredrick County, Maryland, told Fox News Digital. “We can still do 48-hour holds on people who are detained, we can still contact ICE to let them know if someone is about to be released with a detainee, we can also provide wait lists to ICE so they can review and verify them.”

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Governor Wes Moore (D-Md.) appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington, DC, September 7, 2025. (Shannon Finney/NBC via Getty Images))

Jenkins pointed out that his county has the oldest 287(g) program in the country, adding that throughout the program’s 18 years, Fredrick County law enforcement has helped transfer approximately 1,890 illegal immigrants to ICE.

Other counties with 287(g) programs before state law banned them include Wicomico County, Harford County, Carroll County, Allegany County, Cecil County, Garrett County, St. Mary’s County and Washington County.

Jenkins told Fox News Digital that he worries that what’s happening in his state — with state lawmakers barring local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE — could exacerbate tensions between federal officials and U.S. citizens unhappy with how ICE is handling its deportation efforts.

Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore (left) and Fredrick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins (right) (Fredrick County Sheriff’s Office/Getty Images)

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“This whole thing was passed because of the current administration, and the perception of what everyone is watching on TV is also what’s happening here. It’s the complete opposite,” the Maryland County Sheriff continued. “What we’re going to see now as we release these criminals over time, and we don’t hand them over to ICE in our jails, ICE is going to go out into the streets to arrest them.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Moore for comment on the sheriffs’ plan to continue working with federal immigration agents, but no response was provided. A representative for Moore referred to a press release from the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office stating that the law signed by Moore “does not eliminate or hinder our ability to communicate with ICE regarding the imminent release of persons of interest.”

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in Washington, DC (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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Maryland lawmakers are set to further restrict local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE next week, potentially making the “workarounds” described by Jenkins illegal as well.