The U.S. Department of Justice sues Maryland over the state’s expanded immigration “sanctuary” policies, asserting they violate federal law and interfere with immigration enforcement. According to multiple reports, the lawsuit is filed in federal court against Maryland and Attorney General Anthony Brown. The case challenges enforcement of Maryland’s newly adopted Community Trust Act, which the DOJ alleges restricts cooperation with federal immigration authorities in ways that undermine the federal government’s role in enforcing immigration statutes.
The reports describe the DOJ’s position that jurisdictional policies shielding people from federal immigration enforcement amount to unlawful interference with federal authority. Maryland’s sanctuary approach is characterized by the DOJ as preventing or limiting federal access to individuals and associated enforcement processes. The litigation seeks to stop the state from applying the challenged provisions of the act.
While the outlets differ in language and emphasis, they agree on the core point: the DOJ files a lawsuit targeting Maryland’s sanctuary legislation, seeking to block enforcement on grounds that it conflicts with federal immigration law.
