Moore won’t sign immigration bills, but lets them become law

Gov. Wes Moore will allow two controversial immigration bills to become law without his signature, according to a statement from his office.

Democrats in the General Assembly approved bills that restrict cooperation between immigration enforcement and local jurisdictions in the waning days of the legislative session, capping a round of progressive immigration reforms aimed at pushing back against President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

Moore’s refusal to sign the bills draws a bright line for the Democratic governor with national ambitions and serves as a stark reminder of the delicate politics surrounding immigration policy. Moore faced veto pressure on at least one of the bills, according to a law enforcement leader.

Moore spokesperson Ammar Moussa said the governor had concerns about the implementation of the two bills, called the Community Trust Act and the Data Privacy Act.

Moore’s decision was first reported by WYPR.

We Are CASA, an immigrant rights group, celebrated the new laws, calling them a “major victory for immigrant families.”

“Together, these laws prevent local law enforcement from being turned into ICE informants and close dangerous data-sharing loopholes that have funneled too many families into detention and deportation,” Executive Director George Escobar said in a statement.

The nonprofit actively lobbied lawmakers and the governor to pass the legislation. Last week, We Are CASA and other local and national advocates sent Moore a letter urging him to sign the measures.

Moore has already signed numerous immigration bills into law, including emergency legislation banning formal agreements, called 287(g) agreements, between federal immigration agencies and local jurisdictions.

The Community Trust Act will limit cooperation between law enforcement and corrections officials at detention centers. Local jurisdictions will not be allowed to hold or detain an individual for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless a judge has issued a warrant. The bill includes exceptions for felony convictions or crimes listed on the sex offender registry.

The state professional association for police and sheriffs said in written hearing testimony that the bill “undermines decades of established interagency cooperation and creates artificial barriers to keeping communities safe.”

Those agencies and others wrote to Moore requesting he veto the act, according to Darren Popkin, executive director of the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association. Popkin said some county sheriffs plan to challenge the law’s constitutionality in federal court next week.

The governor has walked a political tightrope between backing law enforcement and progressive groups urging public safety reforms that look beyond policing and incarceration for solutions.

Moore said in a statement that the Community Trust Act “presents real implementation challenges that must be addressed through executive action and in next year’s legislative session.”

“Protecting our communities requires seamless coordination among federal, state, and local partners, and the bill creates ambiguities around joint investigations that we are working with the Attorney General’s office to clarify,” Moore said.

Moore’s statement did not include specifics on why he declined to sign the Data Privacy Act.

That bill prohibits federal agencies from accessing state databases for the purpose of immigration enforcement. Tech CEOs and lobbyists from multiple private data companies spoke out against the act.

Supporters of the bill said it plugged gaps needed to protect the personal information of all Marylanders, not just immigrants.

Democratic leaders House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson stood by their chambers’ work and did not criticize Moore’s decision.

“The Maryland Senate passed these bills because you cannot keep communities safe while stripping people of their rights,” Ferguson said.

Banner reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this story.