IMMIGRATION CALL TO ACTION
10/19/25
Help our Immigrant Community and work to Ban 287g in Maryland. 287g permits local law enforcement to use local funds and resources to work with ICE.
Information:
We hear about ICE being very visible in Los Angeles, Chicago, and other blue cities. Baltimore has its share of ICE activity as well. What is happening in Harford County?
Harford County is one of eight counties in Maryland where sheriffs have contracts with ICE to “identify and process removable aliens who have been arrested and processed into the law enforcement agency’s (LEA) jail/correctional facilities.” ICE only provides the necessary IT systems and training. All other costs are paid by the local sheriff’s office personnel, including all the travel costs to attend ICE training and the use of our local facilities.
This is called Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996, as amended by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. You may remember that it was passed right after 9/11 to address fears of terrorism. Now, our tax dollars are going to augment ICE to persecute our neighbours, our workers, and members of our community.
This is happening at a time when the One Big Beautiful Act provides $170 billion over four years to deport one million immigrants each year — that’s four million immigrants over that period. It’s a staggering sum of money that is larger than what is spent by all local and state law enforcement agencies in the United States yearly.
What are we going to do?
Ultimately, we need to have new immigration legislation. In the short term, though, we need to ban 287(g) from Maryland. Delaware was able to do so in July 2025 and we can do it too.
What can we do?
Work with us to ban 287(g) in Maryland.
Educate yourselves about the issue of immigration. Join and donate to organizations that support those who are targeted:
a. CASA: https://wearecasa.org/get-informed/
b. ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/how-you-can-help
c. Indivisible: https://indivisible.orgFor a more detailed discussion, listen to this interview with three experts: https://www.gcir.org/blog/what-287g-immigrant-justice-experts-break-down-consequential-program
Sample Letter to send to Senate President Ferguson who blocked the ban on 287g in the last legislative session, and also to send to Harford County Senator Mary-Dulaney James, who is on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, the Committee that must pass the legislation out of their committee as a first step.
Senator __________________ The United States was built in on the energy and ingenuity that immigrants brought with them when they settled in this country. We, as a community, value the contributions that are made by the most recent immigrants. We rely on them for many aspects in our lives and the economy: they are entrepreneurs, STEM workers, they work in construction, supply our food, and even perform the daily caregiving for our loved ones.
The current administration is criminalizing these immigrants and their families, who contribute to our economy not only through their labor but also through taxes.
According to American Immigration Council, undocumented immigrants support public services and government programs by contributing $89.8B in total taxes ($33.9B in state and local taxes and $55.8B in federal taxes) while receiving very little in return for their input. They supply $1.7T in spending power that benefits the local economy. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/about-immigration/tax-contributions/
These recent immigrants have families, or have formed families, who themselves may be U.S. citizens and deserve to live without the anxiety of watching their loved one be persecuted by this administration.
This persecution is well funded by the One Big Beautiful Act which provides $170B in funding over 4 years to deport 1 million of our neighbors each year. This funding is more than any local and state law enforcement agencies received in the USA combined. Yet our Harford Conty Sheriff is in a 287(g) agreement with ICE adding additional cost to our county. Our county is augmenting ICE resources, not just through our federal taxes with the One Big Beautiful Act, but through the extra expense that comes with this Agreement. In Harford County the Sheriff can solely enter into such agreement as the 287(g) without the approval or consent from the County Council, even though the expense is funded by county funds.
We ask you to ban 287(g) in Maryland. It is a Section of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996 that was amended by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This agreement was generated out of fear after 9/11 and has metastasized to cruelty against our friends, neighbors, and their families, despite their contributions to our community. Ban the 287(g) agreements in our State.
Your Name
Your Address
Email: marydulany.james@senate.maryland.gov Phone: (410) 841-3158
Email: bill.ferguson@senate.maryland.gov Phone: (410) 841-3600
Script for phone call and QR Code email.
Script for phone call and QR Code email. The QR code sends an abbreviated version of the letter and is pre-loaded for you inside of the QR code. You only need to add your name and address, but you can edit the letter if you would like to:
Senator Ferguson and Senator James:
We ask you to ban 287(g) in Maryland. It is a Section of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996 that was amended by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This agreement was generated out of fear after 9/11 and has metastasized to cruelty against our friends, neighbors, and their families, despite their contributions to our community. In Harford County the Sheriff can enter into a 287(g) agreement without the approval or consent of the County Council, even though the expense is partially funded by county funds. Ban the 287(g) agreements in our State.
Your Name
Your Address
