Justice Department Targets Maryland in Major Crackdown on Sanctuary Policies
Fred Lucas
• July 10, 2026
The Justice Department sued Maryland over the state’s sanctuary policies, alleging the state has interfered with immigration enforcement and allowed criminal illegal aliens to roam free.
“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 are silenced,” Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said in a statement Thursday.
Woodward added that “this department will never stand for such lawless action from blue state leaders.”
In May, Maryland enacted the Community Trust Act, which prevents local law enforcement from detaining or prolonging the detention of an individual for immigration enforcement purposes. The law also restricts the ability of local agencies to provide information to federal immigration authorities.
“These provisions intentionally obstruct the sharing of information and rendering of other assistance envisioned by Congress, thereby impairing federal detention of removable aliens, including dangerous criminals, as required by federal law,” the DOJ complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Maryland, states.
https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/07/10/doj-crackdown-maryland-sanctuary/
