Maryland
Maryland sheriffs vow to fight bill banning 287G agreements with ICE
(WBFF) — Maryland sheriffs who participate in a federal immigration enforcement partnership said they are prepared to fight a bill awaiting the governor’s signature that would ban the agreements statewide.
Senate Bill 245 would prohibit so-called 287(g) agreements between local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill is described as an emergency measure and would take effect immediately if the governor signs it.
ALSO READ | Man, teen girl killed; 16-year-old boy injured in Baltimore shootings over weekend
“This is an emergency bill – third reader for passage,” according to remarks during the legislative process.
Nine jurisdictions in Maryland currently have 287(g) agreements, which allow detention centers to screen inmates to determine who may be in the country illegally. Frederick County is among the participating jurisdictions.
Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said Senate Bill 245 would be challenged in court if it becomes law.
“What I think our challenge is a sheriff, as sheriffs, I think the challenge here is for us to find legal representation to get this into the courts,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins also called the bill a violation of law enforcement rights.
“We all have certain constitutional authorities that I don’t believe the legislator can just upend like this,” he said.
Harford County, another jurisdiction using the program, also criticized the proposal.
“This is good public safety,” Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler said.
Asked about his stance if the program is eliminated, Gahler said “We are going to continue to look at and review all options.”
Gahler said ending the detention center-based program would not remove ICE from Maryland communities and could increase ICE activity in neighborhoods.
“Doing away with 287(g) has been sold by some legislators as the solution to getting ICE out of Maryland. The opposite will happen. You will still see ICE, probably in greater numbers, doing the mission that they are lawfully required and charged to do,” he said.
Carroll County Sheriff Jim DeWees said he would continue working with ICE regardless of whether the bill becomes law.
“Absolutely I will continue to work with ICE,” DeWees said.
He criticized lawmakers backing the ban, saying “The bill bans the agreements, and in typical Annapolis fashion, they supply no alternative.”
DeWees said his office would maintain communication with ICE even if the agreements are prohibited.
“ICE is not going away. And there has to be a process of communication with them. So I will create a policy within my office to continue working with ICE. I won’t look much different than I’m doing right now,” he said.
Sheriffs also argued the bill would put Maryland at risk and said they believe there is public support for keeping the agreements.
“52 percent of Marylanders want to see these agreements stay in place,” one sheriff said.
“Annapolis is trying to pull a quick one on people,” a sheriff said.
“The governor makes the argument that he’s trying to make the streets of Maryland safer, he is doing just the opposite when he signs this bill,” a sheriff said.
As of now, there has been no word from the governor on whether he intends to sign the ban into law.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
Related
Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
-
News29 minutes agoTrump’s ‘American Flag Blue’ in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer ‘vandal’ is fighting his arrest | Fortune
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoWater main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoDetroit’s air quality early Thursday ranked as hazardous, worst in the world
-
San Francisco, CA3 hours ago‘It was a scene from the Titanic’: Fishermen recall rescuing passengers from sinking boat in SF Bay
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoBig picture takeaways from the Dallas Mavericks first week at Summer League
-
Miami, FL3 hours ago“We’re going to be champions”. Argentina fans in Miami Beach celebrate team’s win against England
-
Boston, MA3 hours ago4 Red Sox Trade Targets to Solidify Boston’s Push for a Playoff Spot
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoRTD considers ending Denver’s 16th Street FreeRide shuttle due to budget issues
