Worcester County agencies report little, no involvement with immigration personnel
Maryland lawmakers this week approved legislation limiting when local police can share information with federal immigration authorities, though police agencies in Worcester County say they already have little or no involvement with ICE.
In the final hours of the 90-day session Monday, the General Assembly passed the Maryland Community Trust Act, establishing new firewalls on voluntary cooperation between local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Under the bill, police generally would not be allowed to share information about detainees with ICE unless required by a judicial warrant based on probable cause, a state legislative analysis shows.
Police in Worcester County, however, say communication and coordination with ICE are already limited and inconsistent.
When asked how ICE agents share details of activity in their jurisdictions, police chiefs had mixed reviews of the situation on the ground: sometimes they get advance notice, sometimes they hear about raids after the fact, and sometimes not at all.
Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli said his office has never been contacted by ICE and his deputies have never taken part in immigration enforcement. Still, he hears “a couple times per month” about ICE operations in the county.
“Typically, I will hear about these operations after the fact,” Crisafulli said in an email, adding that off-duty officers, residents, and business owners have relayed information to him.