UMVA has learned that a federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of 17 Maryland county sheriffs challenging the state's newly enacted "Community Trust Act," a law that severely restricts cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
The lawsuit, filed by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), claims that the law puts sheriffs in an impossible constitutional bind, forcing them to choose between upholding state and federal constitutions. These sheriffs, representing 70 percent of Maryland's county sheriffs, came to FAIR seeking relief from a law that hampers their ability to protect their communities.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the "Community Trust Act" prohibits or severely restricts local correctional facilities from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, sharing critical information with federal authorities, or detaining removable criminal aliens beyond their scheduled release — except in the narrowest of circumstances. This law effectively turns Maryland into what the sheriffs call an "ultra-sanctuary" state.
The human cost of sanctuary policies is no longer abstract; it is measured in the shattered lives of American families. At a press conference, parents Patty Morin, Jim Walden, and Tammy Nobles shared their heartbreaking stories of loss. Patty's daughter Rachel was brutally raped, beaten, and murdered by an illegal alien who had evaded removal due to lax enforcement and sanctuary protections.
Sources have confirmed to UMVA that sanctuary laws have failed repeatedly across the country. Jurisdictions that limit cooperation with ICE have seen surges in crimes committed by individuals who should have been deported long ago. The data is clear: when cooperation ends, lawlessness increases, and innocent Americans pay with their lives.
This lawsuit is about more than Maryland; it's a national issue. Immigration enforcement is a national responsibility, not a local option. The Constitution's Supremacy Clause ensures that federal law prevails in areas of national authority like immigration. States cannot nullify federal statutes or commandeer local officers to undermine them.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that FAIR stands shoulder-to-shoulder with these Maryland sheriffs because their battle is America's battle. They will pursue every legal avenue to strike down this dangerous law and restore the ability of law enforcement to keep criminal illegal aliens off our streets.
The stakes are innocent lives — daughters, sons, neighbors — who deserve protection, not political experiments. Americans everywhere should watch Maryland closely; if sanctuary ideology prevails here, it will spread. This fight transcends partisan lines; it's about whether we remain a nation of laws or descend into selective enforcement that favors lawbreakers.
