Maryland
Baltimore leaders tout law limiting ICE cooperation, cite new claims of overreach
BALTIMORE (WBFF) — As Baltimore leaders celebrated a new law limiting city cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday, they also shared new accounts alleging federal agents have gone too far.
At a news conference the same day the mayor signed legislation restricting the city’s cooperation with ICE, City Councilman Zeke Cohen described what he said was a troubling incident outside his children’s school.
“ICE was behaving in ways that were unsafe, that caused stress, and trauma, and harm to our communities, so as a result we asked for increase school police presence,” Cohen said.
He added, “I think it’s incredibly ironic we need our own local school police to protect our kids and our families from the federal government.”
ALSO READ | Baltimore police: Man told guard “I’m an addict” during Orioles Team Store armed robbery
From the floor of the council chambers last month, Councilwoman Odette Ramos described what she said was fear in the community and accused ICE of targeting people based on race.
“Let us call it what it is it’s racism and white supremacy,” Ramos said.
She added, “They wait in parking lots for anyone who is brown. They do not care if you’re a citizen or not, so I’m waiting for my turn obviously.”
Critics have questioned the stories from politicians.
Dr. Richard Vatz, a retired professor of rhetoric, called the city’s approach “utterly irresponsible leadership,” saying, “They ought to think, ‘Who am I helping, who am I hurting?’”
When FOX45 News pressed council members last month on whether they’d witnessed ICE breaking the law in Baltimore, Ramos said, “I have not personally, however, I know that we are now seeing an escalation.”
After Cohen’s account about what happened outside his children’s school, an email was sent to the council president seeking clarification, including: “Did you see the ICE activity yourself and, if so, what was taking place?”
Clarification had not yet been provided.
Sgt. Betsy Branford-Smith, with the National Police Association, said stories of fear put officers at risk too.
“These agents have now been additionally endangered. It’s already dangerous enough,” Smith said.
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, data show.
Maryland schools made nation-leading strides in their recovery from students’ learning loss in the pandemic, according to new data.
They ranked third in the nation in their students’ reading recovery rates, and were fifth in math recovery, according to the 2025 Education Scorecard from Harvard and Stanford Universities and Dartmouth College.
D.C. led the U.S. in math and reading recovery.
The data was presented at the Maryland State Board of Education meeting Thursday.
Trish Brennan-Gac, executive director of literacy nonprofit Maryland READS, said the state board is correct to celebrate gains in reading, but proficiency is “nowhere near where we need to be.”
“It is not that we are No. 3-ranked in reading proficiency,” she told WTOP. “It’s a rate of change, and we are making a faster rate of change,” than most school districts nationally.
Brennan-Gac was at the meeting to ask that the state board consider ways to reduce the use of technology in classroom instruction and support a return to print and textbooks in schools.
“This is no longer a fringe concern. It is a growing movement, and it’s not about social media and phones,” she told the board.
Brennan-Gac said the board and Maryland schools superintendent Carey Wright can take a “visible meaningful leadership role.”
“You can develop transition guidance and funding pathways for districts that are ready to move now, and send a clear signal to the field that Maryland prioritizes developmentally appropriate instruction aligned to brain research that shows how books, not tech-based platforms, are effective in wiring kids’ brains for reading,” she said.
The Maryland State Department of Education has issued guidance to school districts on the use of cellphones in schools, and this year issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence. In both instances, the state has made clear that it leaves implementation of policies to individual school districts.
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