Democratic lawmakers in Maryland rushed emergency legislation to block local police from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immediately after a new ICE facility was announced in the state Wednesday.
The Department of Homeland Security sent a letter to the Historic District Commission and Washington County Planning and Zoning Department in mid-January flagging a potential warehouse purchase for a “new ICE Baltimore Processing Facility,” according to a Thursday statement from the county. The letter detailed plans for holding and processing spaces, offices, a public visitor area, cafeterias, bathrooms and health care facilities. (RELATED: Tom Homan Vows Not To Surrender Immigration Enforcement While Chaos Ensues In Minnesota)
Federal law requires DHS to notify local governments when projects may impact historic property, but the county has no legal authority to block the purchase — and DHS never notified the county directly that it had gone through. The deed, recorded Jan. 22, shows DHS paid $102.4 million for the 825,620-square-foot Hagerstown warehouse, according to Project Salt Box, which tracks federal property procurement to “help neighbors prevent ICE.”
TACOMA, WASHINGTON – MAY 2: An aerial view of detainees exercising in an outdoor recreation area at the Northwest ICE Processing Center on May 2, 2025 in Tacoma, Washington. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
Salt Box said Hagerstown is one of many warehouses nationwide marked for potential detainee holding operations.
The facility appears to be a workaround to Maryland’s Dignity Not Detention Act, which bars the state from entering new contracts allowing ICE to conduct civil immigration detentions in local or state facilities. By building its own detention center, ICE can hold illegal immigrants without relying on state cooperation.
Maryland Democrats responded by pushing legislation to restrict ICE’s reach further. The state Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee approved a bill Tuesday that would end agreements between local police and federal immigration authorities, according to Maryland Matters.
But less than 24 hours after the warehouse announcement Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee added an emergency amendment to its version of the bill, making the law take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature rather than the standard June 1 start date. House sponsor Del. Nicole Williams, a Democrat, said she hopes the Senate will adopt the same amendment.
“This bill is a long time coming,” Williams said after the House vote. “We believe the emergency measure is imperative.”
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – AUGUST 21: The Maryland State House is seen under renovation on August 21, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Republican Del. Susan McComas criticized the bill for stripping counties of the ability to set their own immigration enforcement policies.
Maryland’s federal delegation has also weighed in. In a Jan. 20 letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Democratic Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks joined Reps. April Delaney, Steny Hoyer, Jamie Raskin, Kweisi Mfume, Johnny Olszewski, Sarah Elfreth, and Glenn Ivey in demanding details on the facility’s impact. The letter argues the Hagerstown warehouse “is not designed or outfitted to house, feed, or provide adequate care for detainees.” (RELATED: Democrats’ Plan To Shut Down ICE Funding Has Already Been Foiled)
“Our state has spoken,” the lawmakers wrote, appealing to “principles of federalism and self-governance” — the same ideals McComas accused state Democrats of ignoring.