Maryland lawmaker proposes bill barring ICE officers from state enforcement
A Maryland lawmaker,Delegate Adrian Boafo of Prince George’s County,is sponsoring the “ICE Breaker Act of 2026,” which would bar sworn ICE officers hired on or after President Trump’s January 2025 inauguration from taking jobs with state law enforcement agencies; officers hired earlier adn ICE administrative staff would be exempt. Boafo says the measure responds to what he calls aggressive and abusive federal immigration enforcement tactics that frighten communities and separate families. The proposal arrives amid a nationwide ICE hiring surge-DHS says more than 12,000 officers and agents were hired in under a year-and after recent high-profile shooting incidents involving ICE officers. The bill is linked to broader debate over 287(g) agreements (which allow local-federal immigration cooperation); eight Maryland counties currently have such agreements, and immigrant advocates want them ended while some local law-enforcement leaders defend their use. The murders and prosecutions of 2023 have also intensified the discussion.Lawmakers are expected to take up the hiring restrictions and the future of 287(g) during the 2026 legislative session beginning Jan. 14.
Maryland lawmaker proposes bill barring certain ICE officers from state law enforcement
A Democratic lawmaker in Maryland plans to introduce legislation that would block certain U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from seeking jobs with state law enforcement agencies.
State Delegate Adrian Boafo, who represents Prince George’s County, is sponsoring the “ICE Breaker Act of 2026,” which would apply to sworn ICE officers who joined the agency on or after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2025. Officers hired before that date, as well as ICE employees who served in administrative roles, would not be affected.
Boafo said the bill is aimed at what he described as aggressive enforcement tactics carried out by federal immigration officers.
“These are a group of people who, under the cover of masks and without proper identification, are willfully executing Donald Trump’s racist immigration policies through harassment, intimidation, and violence against innocent people,” Boafo said.
“In so doing, they have taken parents from their children, left struggling families without their breadwinners, and have left countless Marylanders afraid to leave their homes,” he said.
The proposal comes as ICE hiring has surged nationwide. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it has hired more than 12,000 ICE officers and agents in under a year.
“These people do not have the training, credentials, or character to serve and protect the people of Maryland,” Boafo said. “Their values are not ours, and they have no place collecting salaries and benefits from the taxpayers of our state.”
The bill also comes as scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement intensifies after two high-profile incidents: On Christmas Eve, ICE officers in Anne Arundel County shot a man in Glen Burnie who they said tried to drive a van at officers during an enforcement action, and this week in Minneapolis, an ICE officer fatally shot a 37-year-old woman during a federal operation, sparking protests and renewed debate over ICE’s role.
The debate over immigration enforcement in Maryland is also tied to the controversial 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Eight Maryland counties currently have 287(g) agreements, including Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, St. Mary’s, and Washington. Under those agreements, local jails can hold inmates for up to 48 hours so ICE can take custody of undocumented individuals.
Immigrant advocates say the program encourages racial profiling and discourages people from reporting crimes. CASA Executive Director George Escobar said banning the agreements will be a top priority in the 2026 legislative session.
But Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins defended the program, saying it has helped remove criminals from the community. Jenkins also questioned whether the state legislature has the authority to ban such agreements.
The debate over immigration enforcement in Maryland intensified after a local mother was brutally killed by an illegal immigrant.
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In August 2025, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, a 24-year-old from El Salvador, was sentenced to life without parole for the rape and murder of Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five who was attacked while hiking in Harford County in 2023. Prosecutors said he assaulted her, bludgeoned her with rocks, strangled her, and hid her body in a drainage culvert. He received two life sentences plus 40 additional years for kidnapping and a third-degree sex offense.
As Maryland lawmakers prepare for the 2026 session on Wednesday, Jan. 14, both the proposed ICE hiring restrictions and the future of 287(g) agreements are expected to be major points of debate.
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