ANNAPOLIS – The Maryland House of Delegates voted last week, mostly along party lines, to pass three emergency immigration measures designed to challenge federal enforcement tactics and impose state-level restrictions on immigration detention facilities.
The bills directly address the Trump administration’s recent purchase of a massive warehouse in Washington County for conversion into a 1,500-bed ICE detention center.
The legislation now advances to the Senate, where similar versions of some bills await action. If approved and signed by Gov. Wes Moore (D), the measures could take effect immediately due to their emergency designation.
House Bill 1017, sponsored by Del. Melissa Wells (D-Baltimore City), prohibits state or local governments from approving privately run immigration detention centers unless the property is explicitly zoned for such use. This broad definition could block private contractors from managing, occupying or renovating the Williamsport site, even if ICE claims federal authority overrides local zoning.
House Bill 1018, sponsored by Del. Vaughn Stewart (D-Montgomery), mandates that the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services adopt and enforce minimum mandatory standards for the care, custody, and conditions of civil detainees in all immigration detention facilities statewide.
These standards mirror those applied to Maryland’s prisons and jails, covering health, safety, utilities, occupancy, and emergency preparedness, with provisions for inspections, anonymous reports of violations, potential closures due to life-threatening conditions, and enforcement by the Attorney General.
House Bill 351, sponsored by Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Montgomery) and incorporating the No Kings Act, creates a state court pathway for Maryland residents, officials or prosecutors to sue federal agents for constitutional rights violations committed under color of law. It also empowers state authorities to obtain identifying information, such as through cell phone, GPS, or other surveillance data, on masked or unidentified federal agents when misconduct allegations arise.
Democrats framed the package as necessary safeguards against aggressive federal policies and substandard conditions in detention settings.
“What we are seeing from the administration is an authoritarian regime, so bills such as this one I am proud to support for our state and help protect those most vulnerable,” Charkoudian said following the session.
“This is simply applying health and safety standards to all jails in the state. That’s it,” Stewart said in defense of HB 1018.
“We have to hold them accountable to follow their own policies and procedures. When the federal government fails our citizens, we have to step in and protect them,” Del. Tiffany Alston (D-Prince George’s) said, referring to Attorney General Anthony Brown’s lawsuit against the Williamsport project.
Del. Matthew Schindler (D), who represents Williamsport, spoke on the House floor against the incoming ICE-related facility there, citing negative local impacts and voted in favor of all threebills.
Republicans dismissed the bills as symbolic gestures that undermine cooperation on serious crime and could provoke stronger federal responses.
“I feel like you are making my community less safe,” House Minority Whip Jesse Pippy (R-Frederick) said. “I’m tired of the ‘virtue signaling.’ There have to be reasonable policies to address individuals who commit violent crimes in our communities and to coordinate with our federal partners if they also happen to be here illegally.”
Del. Matt Morgan (R-St. Mary’s) labeled HB 351 “a tragedy,” proposing it be renamed the “Maryland State Police KGB Act – 2026.”
The Williamsport facility involves an 825,620-square-foot warehouse on 54 acres at 16220 Wright Road, purchased by ICE on Jan. 16 for $102.4 million. Built in 2023 as a commercial space with minimal amenities – including only four toilets and two water fountains – the site is slated for rapid conversion to hold up to 1,500 people, nearly equaling the population of nearby Williamsport.
The purchase occurred without required National Environmental Policy Act reviews, public notice, or consultation with state and local officials, prompting Attorney General Anthony Brown to file a federal lawsuit on Feb. 23, seeking to halt the project.
The bills build on earlier session actions, including a new law signed by Moore restricting 287(g) agreements between ICE and local law enforcement, which some sheriffs have threatened to challenge legally.
Debate on the House floor was relatively brief but pointed, with less than an hour total across the three measures. HB 1017 passed without discussion, HB 1018 after about 35 minutes, and HB 351 in under 15 minutes of passionate exchanges.
The votes – 96-38 on HB 351, 98-37 on HB 1018, and 98-36 on HB 1017 – exceeded the three-fifths threshold for emergency status. Only one Democrat, Del. Frank Conaway Jr. (D-Baltimore City), opposed HB 351 and HB 1018.
In the coming weeks, the Senate’s handling of these bills, along with any companion measures,will determine their fate.
If they clear the chamber and receive the governor’s signature, the Williamsport project could encounter extended delays due to added state oversight, mandatory upgrades to meet new standards, zoning barriers to any private involvement, heightened civil liability risks for federal agents, and intensified legal scrutiny overlapping with Brown’s ongoing suit.
This could push back the facility’s planned opening, potentially by late 2026, while fueling continued statewide debate over immigration enforcement in Maryland.
