The Maryland House of Delegates on Saturday approved a bill that further narrows the allowable coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials — sending the measure closer to final approval.

The Community Trust Act would block corrections officials and law enforcement from holding or detaining an individual for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless a judge has issued a warrant. The bill includes exceptions that allow ICE to be contacted when jails release individuals who were convicted of felonies or crimes listed on the sex offender registry list.

Del. David Moon, a Montgomery County Democrat, said it draws a “bright line” for jails and ICE alike to follow.

“We don’t just hand humans over,” he said. The bill gives a clear directive to ICE: “Bring a conviction, bring a warrant.”

The final House vote came at the end of a long Saturday workday at the State House, 92-37, largely along party lines. Delegates spent about four-and-a-half hours debating the bill across two sessions.

The act cleared the state Senate on a 29-13 vote Friday night, but the House made changes that the Senate would need to sign off on in order for the bill to be finalized and sent to Gov. Wes Moore for his consideration. One of the key changes makes the bill an emergency measure that would take immediate effect if the Democratic governor signs it.

The clock is ticking: The General Assembly adjourns its annual session at midnight Monday.

The Community Trust Act is a high priority for advocates for immigrants, including the group We Are CASA, amid heightened concerns about aggressive enforcement tactics from ICE. The bill languished in the General Assembly for weeks, but a persistent push sent it moving forward in the final days of the session.

Should it pass, the Community Trust Act would represent a second victory for those who are concerned about enabling ICE enforcement. Early on in the session, lawmakers banned formal cooperation agreements between jails and ICE known as 287(g) agreements.

“Momentum for immigrant rights in Annapolis is palpable,” Ninfa Amador-Hernandez, We are CASA’s Maryland Policy Manager, said in a statement.

Lawmakers have said the Community Trust Act was necessary to close a loophole after they banned the 287(g) agreements. A handful of law enforcement agencies said they would continue to cooperate with ICE despite lawmakers forcing them to terminate partnership agreements.

Both measures have drawn ire from Republicans, who have offered a litany of concerns, including that passing anti-ICE bills would invite more scrutiny from the White House and that the bills could inadvertently hamstring state-federal crime-fighting task forces.

Republicans tried to change the bill through 20 proposed amendments, most of which failed. Several would have required notification to ICE when undocumented people are arrested for various crimes, and others would have named it the “Maryland Sanctuary State Act” and the “Maryland Criminal Alien Protection Act.”

Republicans also objected to how the bills advanced over the past few days.

“Forty-eight hours ago, no one I knew of thought this bill was going anywhere,” Del. Jason Buckel, the House Republican leader, said during debate Saturday evening.

The final House vote came late Saturday night, when Republicans said few people were paying attention.

And the Senate advanced the bill on a short-notice committee vote on Thursday night that was not livestreamed, followed by a full Senate vote late on Friday night.

“Democrats are advancing criminal protection over public safety in the dark,” Del. Matt Morgan, chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, charged in a statement Saturday. “If democracy truly dies in darkness, they just turned off the lights.”