Moore criticizes federal immigration enforcement surge in Maryland

Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday criticized tactics used by federal immigration agents during a recent surge in Maryland, saying he’d seen “frightening footage” of people being taken from their homes, chased through neighborhoods and parents separated from children.

Moore said he’d heard of one ICE arrest where a man may have suffered a broken neck.

Federal agents ran sweeping immigration enforcement actions in Maryland and Virginia over two weeks in August, according to the Department of Homeland Security, arresting more than 1,300 people, about one-third of whom they said had prior criminal convictions or charges.

The agency revealed details of the operation on Monday after they’d completed the arrests.

The governor stated he supports deporting violent criminals for the sake of public safety but said the agency was spreading fear within communities.

“It undermines trust between law enforcement and the people they serve, and it does not make us safer,” he said.

ICE’s own arrest statistics contradict the agency’s mission to focus deportation efforts on violent criminals, Moore said. The mass arrests come at a cost to the economy.

“I’ve heard firsthand from business leaders across the State that these immigration policies are taking legal workers out of our nursing homes, scaring farmworkers from showing up to work, and making the cost of everything from groceries to delivery services higher,” he said.

The surge comes months after Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin took over the agency from former Secretary Kristi Noem and as the Trump administration continues to strip protections, such as Temporary Protected Status, and issued new work and student visa restrictions.

Officials said they targeted the jurisdictions aiming to show they were able to make arrests despite state laws intended to restrict federal enforcement.

“While sanctuary politicians in Virginia and Maryland keep putting the needs of illegal aliens over the safety of the American people, the Trump Administration will always put American citizens first,” Mullin said in a statement. “By arresting and removing illegal aliens from our communities, we will make America safe again.”

The agency reported nearly 400 of those arrested were charged or convicted of a crime. Some were violent crimes, though the agency did not say how many.

Earlier this year Maryland lawmakers passed a raft of laws protecting immigrant residents, ending formal working agreements between sheriffs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, banning federal immigration officers from wearing masks and barring the use of data sharing for enforcement.