Full Breakdown
DOJ Sues Maryland Over Community Trust Act
7/10/2026, 5:52:50 PM
Core Event: Lawsuit Filed Against Maryland’s Sanctuary Law
On July 9, 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division, alleging that Maryland’s recently enacted Community Trust Act unlawfully obstructs federal immigration enforcement. The complaint contends that the state law prevents local police and correctional facilities from honoring ICE detainers and from inquiring about an inmate’s immigration status, thereby violating the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution.
Background & Context: Sanctuary Policies and the Community Trust Act
The “sanctuary” label, first applied to 1980s church shelters for Central American migrants, now describes jurisdictions that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Maryland’s Community Trust Act was fast-tracked as emergency legislation in May 2026 and became law without Governor Wes Moore’s signature. The act bars law-enforcement agencies from holding individuals for ICE without a warrant, except for felony or sex-offense cases, and prohibits officers from asking detainees about immigration status.
Key Figures & Groups
- Todd Blanche, Acting U.S. Attorney General, directed the DOJ’s Civil Division to identify state actions that impede federal law.
- Stanley Woodward, Associate Attorney General, is the primary DOJ spokesperson on the suit.
- Brett Shumate, Assistant Attorney General, leads the Civil Division’s arguments.
- Anthony Brown, Maryland Attorney General, declined to comment.
- Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland, issued a statement defending the state’s right to protect civil liberties.
- Clarence Lam, Maryland State Senator, sponsored the Community Trust Act.
- Brian Albert, Washington County Sheriff, is among the sheriffs who sued Maryland over the same law.
Data & Statistics
- The DOJ’s complaint cites the Community Trust Act as the latest in a series of 20 lawsuits targeting sanctuary policies in other states, including Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York.
- 17 of Maryland’s 24 elected sheriffs have filed a separate suit challenging the act.
- The Community Trust Act was enacted in May 2026 during the final day of the legislative session.
Why It Matters
The DOJ argues that Maryland’s restrictions hinder ICE’s ability to detain and remove individuals who have violated immigration law, potentially compromising public-safety operations that rely on federal-state cooperation. Conversely, state officials maintain that the law protects constitutional rights and allows local police to focus on violent crime rather than immigration matters.
Official Statements & Responses
The Justice Department’s filing asserts that the act “obstructs the operation of federal immigration law and impedes the consultation and communication between federal, state, and local law-enforcement officials necessary to keep Americans safe.” Assistant Attorney General Shumate emphasized that the department will “defend the Constitution and the rule of law” by challenging the state’s measures. Governor Moore responded that Maryland “will work with the federal government when that coordination makes our people safer – but we will not let untrained, unqualified, and unaccountable ICE agents deputize our law-enforcement officers to do immigration work.” Senator Lam explained that the legislation was intended to close a loophole that allowed some sheriffs to continue informal communication with ICE despite a prior ban on 287(g) agreements. Maryland Attorney General Brown’s office provided no comment.
Criticism & Opposition
Rights-group advocates contend that the federal immigration crackdown, which the DOJ frames as a public-safety imperative, infringes on due-process and free-speech protections, especially for ethnic minorities. The coalition of sheriffs filing their own lawsuit argues that the Community Trust Act unlawfully limits local authority and jeopardizes operational effectiveness.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The DOJ’s complaint cites a “blatant disregard” for longstanding federal immigration statutes, while the state’s position stresses constitutional safeguards; no independent data have been provided to verify the alleged public-safety impact of the act. Maryland’s Attorney General has not offered a response, leaving a gap in the official state perspective.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Such blatant disregard for federal laws that have been on the books for decades is not merely a political disagreement or passive abstention; it is deliberate, disruptive action that jeopardizes the public safety for all Americans.” — Stanley Woodward, Associate Attorney General
- “The American people are ultimately the ones who suffer when states pass these irresponsible sanctuary policies,” — Brett Shumate, Assistant Attorney General
- “When sanctuary jurisdictions enact laws to shield illegal aliens from federal law enforcement, it is not merely federal law that is violated, but the voices of everyday American voters silenced.” — Stanley Woodward, Associate Attorney General
- “While Trump’s ICE has ripped mothers out of cars and detained five-year-olds, Maryland's law allows our law enforcement to continue working with federal officers to get violent offenders off our streets, remain focused on the work that has helped drive historic reductions in violent crime, and protect fundamental civil rights.” — Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland
- “The Community Trust Act impedes the federal government's ability to regulate immigration and take enforcement actions against illegal aliens by preventing state and local law enforcement officials from assisting with federal civil immigration enforcement.” — DOJ lawsuit filing
