To: Governor Wes Moore and District Attorney Anthony G. Brown

End Police-ICE Collaboration: Restore Trust and Safety in Our Community in Maryland

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash
Imagine living in fear. Fear of calling the police when you're a victim of crime. Fear of taking your sick child to the hospital. Fear of sending your children to school or seeking solace in your place of worship. This is the reality for too many members of our community due to the entanglement of our local police force with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the chilling presence of ICE agents in spaces that should be safe havens.

Our local police should serve and protect everyone in our community, regardless of immigration status. When local law enforcement collaborates with ICE, it shatters the trust essential for effective policing. Immigrant residents become afraid to report crimes, serve as witnesses, or seek help, making everyone less safe. This collaboration transforms our local officers from community guardians into extensions of federal immigration enforcement, diverting their focus from local safety priorities.

Furthermore, schools, hospitals, and places of worship must remain inviolable sanctuaries. These are pillars of our community where individuals seek education, healing, and spiritual guidance. The presence or perceived threat of ICE agents in these sensitive locations creates a climate of fear that prevents people from accessing essential services:

  • Children miss school because their parents fear encountering ICE during drop-off or pick-up.
  • Patients avoid critical medical care – including emergency services – fearing detention or deportation.
  • Worshippers feel unsafe practicing their faith in spaces meant for peace and reflection.
This isn't just an immigration issue; it's a community safety issue, a public health issue, and a fundamental human rights issue. When parts of our community are forced into the shadows, we are all diminished. We undermine public health efforts, compromise education, and erode the social fabric that binds us together.

We demand immediate action to restore trust and ensure genuine safety for all residents.

We call on Governor Wes Moore and District Attorney Anthony G. Brown to enact clear, enforceable policies that:

  1. Prohibit our local police department from collaborating with ICE in civil immigration enforcement activities, including information sharing, joint operations, and honoring administrative ICE detainers without a judicial warrant.
  2. Explicitly forbid ICE agents from entering sensitive locations like schools, medical facilities (including hospitals and clinics), and places of worship within our jurisdiction for the purpose of immigration enforcement, except where legally mandated by a judicial warrant.


Why is this important?

By taking these steps, you will send a clear message: Our community values the safety, health, and dignity of all its residents. You will rebuild broken trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. You will ensure our schools remain places of learning, our hospitals places of healing, and our houses of worship places of peace.

Sign this petition now to demand an end to police-ICE collaboration and protect our community's vital sanctuaries. Let's restore trust and build a truly safe community for everyone.