Baltimore County is Maryland’s only ‘sanctuary’ county in revised DOJ list

Leo Sanderlin; Lillian Reed

The Baltimore Banner

August 5, 2025

Baltimore County is now the only sanctuary jurisdiction in the state of Maryland, according to a list the Department of Justice released on Tuesday, a label that could lead to legal action or other adverse consequences for any city, county or state included.

Baltimore County being the sole Maryland jurisdiction listed on the list is somewhat odd. The Justice Department released a list released earlier this year, which was later retracted, that included eight counties, 10 towns and the entire state.

Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier, in an emailed statement, said the county was not a sanctuary jurisdiction and believes its inclusion on the list was “in error.”

“Our Office of Law is currently contacting the Department of Justice to correct this mistake,” Klausmeier said.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined comment when asked about Baltimore County’s inclusion on the list.

This new, drastically reduced list, is the byproduct of an executive order President Donald Trump issued earlier this year, directing the Department of Justice to determine which places around the country had laws or policies that “impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

Other places in Maryland, like Howard County, which was previously on the Justice Department’s list, have passed laws that would more directly conflict with the Trump administration’s goals. Howard County has a law prohibiting county resources from being used to enforce federal immigration law, which could be interpreted as interference. Baltimore County does not have such a law.

Howard’s law has attracted plenty of attention from federal authorities and Trump administration allies in recent months.

It was one of several so-called sanctuary jurisdictions to receive a warning letter in late December from America First Legal, a law group founded by White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller.

ICE’s Baltimore field office in May publicly slammed the county’s detention center for not holding an Honduran national convicted of rape past his release date even as local officials claimed they were following the law. Around that same period, the office’s acting director Nikita Baker sought meetings with County Executive Calvin Ball and each of the County Council’s five members.

A spokesperson for Ball could not immediately be reached for comment.

It is possible more Maryland jurisdictions are added to the list — the Justice Department’s website states the current one is “not exhaustive” and will be updated.

The list’s creation is part of the Trump administration’s overarching pressure campaign to force places to comply with federal efforts to conduct mass deportations. Some Maryland leaders, like Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, have brushed off these threats.

Baltimore was on the Justice Department list published earlier this year, but not the new one.