Maryland
Maryland lawmakers want limits on federal immigration enforcement
Armed, masked federal agents smashing car windows, ripping people from their vehicles. Protesters pepper-sprayed. A Minneapolis woman shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
And closer to home, agents shot a man during a confrontation in Glen Burnie and injured another, then later changed their story about what happened.
Images that have angered people across the country and the state have alarmed Maryland lawmakers. They’re drafting bills to protect residents from an increasingly violent mass deportation effort and send a strong message to Washington.
But critics say lawmakers’ focus on immigration could affect public safety and draw the attention of President Donald Trump’s administration, risking an ICE surge into Maryland.
Maryland lawmakers are following the lead of other states, seeking to ban agreements that let ICE work with local law enforcement and to stop federal immigration officers from concealing their faces.
“We’re moving forward because what we’ve seen has been unconscionable,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Democrat representing Baltimore. Lawmakers will hear the mask and 287(g) ban bills Thursday.
But they’ll also consider a bill that would collect data on federal agents’ interactions with the public in order to digitally unmask them. There’s a pitch to cement the right to sue the federal government and bar immigration officers from state law enforcement jobs.
The Trump administration is challenging a California mask ban in court and it’s not clear how much states can limit federal agents.
The plans come as violent and deadly clashes between federal agents and the public have reached a boiling point, and just as the curtains have opened on the state’s 90-day lawmaking session.
Ferguson and his counterpart in the House, Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk, have declared their top priorities are banning contracts between federal immigration enforcement and local agencies, known as 287(g) agreements for a section of federal law, and prohibiting federal agents from wearing masks.
Unmasking agents will strengthen trust between law enforcement and residents, Ferguson said.
“Immigrants deserve to live with dignity and respect,” said Peña-Melnyk, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who has blasted agents’ treatment of the public. The Democrat represents parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties.
Gov. Wes Moore declined to weigh in on bills lawmakers have yet to debate, but the Democrat questioned why the federal officers need to “dress up” to do their jobs, and said he’s concerned about the behavior he’s seeing from ICE.
“They [ICE] don’t seem to care about violent crime and public safety,” Moore said. “Nor do they care about following the Constitution.”
Trump administration officials have continued to back agents’ tactics, and insist that allowing agents to pick up noncitizens who are being held in local jails keeps ICE from having to flood communities with patrols.
Democratic lawmakers say their proposals wouldn’t risk public safety or interfere with federal immigration enforcement.
“We will always participate to solve crime and to get dangerous people off the streets,” said Sen. Will Smith, a Montgomery County Democrat and the Senate’s lead sponsor of the bill to ban the agreements. The measure is expected to breeze through the General Assembly. Del. Nicole Williams of Prince George’s County is the lead House sponsor.
Judiciary Chair J. Sandy Bartlett, an attorney, argued that state and local jurisdictions fund local public safety officers to protect the people within their purview. The federal government has its own budget for immigration enforcement. Her House committee will review the bill.
“They do not need our law enforcement to do their job,” the Anne Arundel County Democrat said.
Existing 287(g) agreements allow corrections officers at local jails to ask the immigration status of someone they’ve arrested. Officers can then flag ICE and hold noncitizens for the feds for up to 48 hours after arrest.
Critics of the agreements say they allow law enforcement to racially profile Marylanders arrested for unrelated crimes and sow fear of law enforcement. They also may extend someone’s detention after they would have otherwise been released before a court date.
Republican lawmakers and county sheriffs cautioned that ending the agreements could stoke retaliation.
Federal agencies could see the bans as “resistance,” said Sen. Bill Folden, a retired police officer who at one time served as a deputy sheriff in Frederick County, a jurisdiction that’s had a 287(g) agreement in place for nearly two decades.
“We need to be careful what we ask for,” he said. “Because we don’t want to see the model that we’re seeing in Minnesota.”
The ICE surge in Minneapolis has become a proving ground for how far the Trump administration will take its deportation efforts. A federal judge on Jan. 16 ordered ICE to refrain from detaining protesters or using pepper spray on people exercising their First Amendment rights.
Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler called the agreements “an important public safety program,” that allow his officers to screen for someone’s immigration status inside jails. No contract in Maryland permits local officers to conduct immigration arrests.
Sheriffs in Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett, St. Mary’s and Washington counties have also signed the voluntary agreements, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Many say they want the programs to continue.
Unmasking ICE
The ban on face coverings would extend to state, local and federal officers, with some exceptions, such as wearing surgical masks to prevent illness.
The digital unmasking bill, drafted by Del. David Moon, would allow the state to store data, such as location, license plate photos and cellphone video of an ICE officer’s actions, should a member of the public file a complaint against them.
At a time when there’s selective oversight for federal agencies, the Montgomery County Democrat said it’s imperative the state use “the resources at our disposal to ensure there’s at least the opportunity for accountability.”
Republican Del. Matt Morgan said lawmakers should first try to understand why the feds are wearing masks.
“They’re trying to protect those officers,” the St. Mary’s Republican said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said her officers face violence, threats and harassment while trying to do their jobs. Concealing their faces protects their identities, she said.
Suing ICE
Another early proposal will cement Marylanders’ ability to sue the federal government over civil rights violations. Democrat Del. Lorig Charkoudian of Montgomery County said her bill, dubbed the No Kings Act, will provide legal recourse where none currently exists.
Del. Adrian Boafo has pitched a bill that would disqualify immigration officers sworn in after Trump’s 2025 inauguration from getting jobs as state law enforcement officers.
The bill raises questions about whether someone’s past experience could bar them from future employment, said Nancy Modesitt, a University of Baltimore law professor who specializes in employment law.
But it’s emblematic of Democrats’ outrage after watching Trump’s immigration forces take the streets of American cities.
Boafo, a Prince George’s County Democrat, said those who applied to ICE after the agency used amped-up anti-immigration rhetoric to recruit applicants understood what they were signing up for.
Should the bill pass, he said, it will serve as “a reminder that we’re not going to forget what terror this has been for a lot of Marylanders.”
GLEN BURNIE, Md. (WBFF) — An office building in Glen Burnie was evacuated on Thursday afternoon after its underground parking garage experienced a shift in one of its floors.
The Anne Arundel County Fire Department initially responded to the 7300 block of Ritchie Highway around 2:30 p.m. on July 9 after reports of a partial building collapse.
However, the department later clarified that there has been no collapse of the 10-story building.
Officials said crews are evaluating the building’s structural integrity after work was being performed in the parking garage.
All occupants were safely evacuated, and no injuries have been reported, according to Fire Captain Jenny Macallair.
The fire department is asking drivers to avoid the area while crews continue their assessment.
FOX45 News has a crew on the way to the scene, and we will provide updates as they become available.
See America’s most iconic hot dogs
Welcome to the United States of Hot Dogs! We’ve compiled a few of the best hot dogs eaten across the country.
Although Maryland is often celebrated for its seafood, one over-the-top creation has carved out its own loyal following among locals and visitors alike: The Baltimore-style hot dog.
Sausage is merely its first layer of meat. It’s wrapped in a thick slice of fried beef bologna and piled high with toppings.
It’s proof that while hot dogs are truly an All-American food, their real power lies in how they adapt to local tastes.
Hot dogs were “invented” in the U.S. after German sausages were served in buns. They’re a staple of baseball games — the all-American pastime. And they are truly a democratic food: nearly anyone can afford to enjoy them.
But even more, hot dogs are American because of their adaptability, reflecting the ingenuity and diversity that gives our country such a rich culinary tapestry.
“You can tell the story of America through hot dogs. There are probably other things you could use, other objects or icons, but I think hot dog is a really good one,” said Bruce Kraig, a Ph.D. food historian and author of “Hot Dog: A Global History’ and ‘Man Bites Dog: Hot Dog Culture in America.”
Regional hot dog toppings, from chili in Cincinnati to celery salt in Chicago to jalapeños in the Southwest, tell distinct stories of place.
Here in Baltimore, Maryland, our contribution to the United States of Hot Dogs is the Baltimore-style hot dog.
What is a Baltimore-style hot dog?
At its core, the Baltimore dog is a meat-on-meat masterpiece. It starts with a kosher all-beef sausage that is split, fried and wrapped alongside thick, charred bologna slices.
It’s traditionally topped with raw onions and yellow mustard, with a pickle spear on top or on the side. Some variations include the addition of sweet relish, ketchup or cheese.
“In this creation, grease from the bologna mixes with the grease from the hot dog, and both find their way into the bread to form an unforgettable aroma, taste and aftertaste — and 200 points on your cholesterol count,” Baltimore historian Gilbert Sandler told The Baltimore Sun in a 2019 story.
Where did the Baltimore-style hot dog come from?
Its origins are often somewhat unclear, but it’s believed to have originated during the Great Depression when, according to TasteAtlas.com, “people added bologna slices to the hot dog in order to make it a fuller, heartier meal.”
Jewish delis along Baltimore’s historic “Corned Beef Row” were looking for ways to offer working-class customers a filling, calorie-dense meal for a small chunk of change, leading to the birth of the Baltimore-style hot dog.
First becoming popular in the early 1940s at Mandell and Ballow deli, the bologna-wrapped hot dog spread throughout Baltimore, The Sun reported.
“Despite being a nutritionally questionable combo of two of the world’s least-healthful meats, the bologna dog continues to be a local favorite, enjoyed without apology,” FoodRepublic.com wrote in 2023.
Four best places to try a Baltimore-style hot dog
Attman’s Delicatessen: A Baltimore institution since 1915, Attman’s version of the Baltimore-style hot dog sits at the top of its menu. Its dog — for $7.99 — comes with your choice of mustard, relish, chopped onions and ketchup. Details: 1019 East Lombard St., Baltimore; 410-563-2666, attmansdeli.com.
Weiss Deli: Another Baltimore staple, Weiss serves speciality sandwiches and, of course, the Baltimore-style hot dog. You can customize the $7.49 dog with up to eight toppings, but its most popular version comes with just deli mustard and raw onions on top of the bologna-wrapped sausage. Details: 1127 East Lombard St., Baltimore; 410-276-7910, baltimoreweissdeli.com
The Dog House Carryout: A legendary landmark in Baltimore, The Dog House Carryout has been slinging its classic comfort food for more than 75 years. You can get a quarter-pound all-beef hot dog for $6.95, with bologna added for an extra $1.25. The dog comes with your choice of mustard, relish, onions and ketchup. Details: 617 Fallsway, Baltimore; 410-685-7269, thedoghousebaltimore.com
Killa Dogz: Killa Dogz, one of the more modern hot dog spots in the city, offers a wide variety of options, including what it calls the “Bmore” dog. At $7, its version is deep fried, wrapped in bologna and “served on a squishy bun with mustard.” Chili and cheese are among the top ways to customize its dog. Details: 6106 Belair Rd, Baltimore; 443-438-7822. killadogz.com.
Jennifer Borresen contributed the interactive graphic to this story. She is a graphic journalist at USA TODAY, specializing in explanatory graphics and illustrations in various fields, including politics, science, weather and entertainment.
BALTIMORE, MD. – A Hanover man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison followed by lifetime supervised release on Wednesday for attempting to provide material support to ISIS, federal prosecutors announced.
Michael Sam Teekaye, Jr., 22, pleaded guilty in January 2026 after unknowingly revealing a plot to travel abroad and fight for the designated foreign terrorist organization to an undercover law enforcement officer, prosecutors said.
What we know:
Court documents reveal that between March and October 2024, Teekaye coordinated travel arrangements with a Somali ISIS fighter. His itinerary detailed a flight departing from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) to Turkey, with subsequent travel through Ethiopia to cross into Somalia.
FBI agents arrested Teekaye at BWI on October 14, 2024, after he cleared airport security, according to previous FOX 5 D.C. reporting.
READ MORE: Maryland man arrested for allegedly attempting to join ISIS
Leading up to his arrest, court documents say that Teekaye prepared for his departure by practicing at a Maryland shooting range and attempting to purchase an assault rifle, which was blocked due to an existing state probation status.
Days before his arrest, Teekaye sent the undercover officer a photograph of himself wearing a mask and wielding a large machete, declaring a choice of “victory or martyrdom.”
Following his arrest, prosecutors say Teekaye made multiple unprovoked statements to law enforcement vowing to resume his violent efforts upon his eventual release from custody and threatening the lives of prison guards.
Dig deeper:
Federal authorities noted that Teekaye established a secondary plan to execute domestic terrorist attacks targeting Jewish individuals and institutions supporting Israel within Maryland if his international travel failed. A digital forensic search of his phone uncovered specific search histories focused on Jewish organizations and community members in Howard County, alongside queries regarding home break-ins and escaping murder charges.
A local rabbi impacted by the surveillance spoke during the sentencing hearing regarding the threat’s toll on the community.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and previous FOX 5 D.C. reporting.
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