Senate Republicans Respond to Democrats Ending 287(G)

Senator Steve Hershey, Senator Justin Ready and the Maryland Senate Republicans released a statement after Gov. Wes Moore signed into a bill into law that would end 287 (G) in Maryland.

Senate Republican leadership released the following statement:

“Today’s action strips authority away from locally elected sheriffs and county leaders who know their communities best,” said Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey.

“For years, 287(g) agreements were voluntary tools used by counties to address serious public safety threats. Instead of respecting that local discretion, the Governor and the Democratic majority imposed a one-size-fits-all mandate from Annapolis. This is the state overriding local control to score political points — and Maryland communities will be left to deal with the consequences.”

Senator Justin Ready added, “A wiser approach would have been to see how cooperation efforts in other states, like Minnesota, play out before dismantling structured federal partnerships. Instead, the majority chose a short-term virtue signal over a common-sense public safety policy. Ending 287(g) doesn’t end federal enforcement — it just ends local coordination that included documentation, training support and funding from the federal government. That likely means more direct federal activity in Maryland without the benefit of local oversight or established relationships. Cooperation between local and federal law enforcement produces greater public safety for everyone.”