Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced on Monday that the state's Community Trust Act is constitutional and that his office will defend it against a recent lawsuit filed by the Trump administration.
The lawsuit, initiated by the Department of Justice, claims that the Community Trust Act violates the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause and seeks to have the law overturned in court.
The Community Trust Act restricts the extent to which local authorities can communicate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It also prohibits state law enforcement from detaining individuals for ICE without a judicial warrant.
In his statement, Brown emphasized that the law does not hinder Maryland law enforcement agencies from collaborating with federal authorities on criminal investigations, nor does it obstruct federal immigration officers from operating within the state. Instead, the law is designed to regulate how state and local resources can be allocated for federal immigration enforcement.
“The Constitution does not let the federal government compel states to carry out federal immigration enforcement,” Brown stated. “When Maryland chooses not to spend its resources on that federal work, it is not defying the law; it is exercising a right the Supreme Court has recognized.”
Brown's office updated its guidance on local enforcement of federal immigration law in June, coinciding with the implementation of the Community Trust Act.
Reported by HarborBeat based on The Baltimore Banner (source).
0 Comments
Log in to join the conversation.