Baltimore County loses ‘sanctuary’ status after signing immigration enforcement deal
Darreonna Davis
The Baltimore Banner
October 31, 2025
Baltimore County is no longer a “sanctuary jurisdiction” after local and federal personnel came to an agreement on immigration enforcement, officials announced Friday.
It was the only Maryland county included on an August list of jurisdictions with policies that “impede law enforcement,” according to the U.S. Justice Department.
The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Baltimore field office of Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Baltimore County Department of Corrections signed a memorandum of understanding allowing ICE to take custody of inmates identified as removable under federal immigration law.
Under the agreement, county corrections officials must notify the Baltimore office of the ERO of inmates subject to immigration detainers or federal warrants, while the ERO will inform the county whether it intends to assume custody.
“A recently signed memorandum of understanding between the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and Baltimore County memorializes operational procedures developed and instituted in 2024, which provides the federal government appropriate notice when releasing detainees from County custody,” Dakarai Turner, a spokesperson for the county government, said in a statement. “This agreement makes no changes to the Department of Corrections’ standard practices and aligns Baltimore County with peer jurisdictions throughout the state of Maryland.”
Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said she believed the county’s inclusion on the list in August was an error and said local officials were working to “correct this mistake.”
In a now-retracted list released in May, the state of Maryland; Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties; and Annapolis, Baltimore City, Cheverly, College Park, Edmonston, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Rockville and Takoma Park were named as sanctuary jurisdictions.
These lists were compiled under the direction of an executive order by which places with policies that challenged the Trump administration’s stance on immigration could have federal money taken from them.
“Despite restrictions from state leadership, Baltimore County has shown a willingness to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement. “This is a small step toward restoring public safety and we appreciate the county’s commitment to updating its policies.”
Baltimore County is the second jurisdiction from the August list to be removed. The state of Nevada was removed in September.