BALTIMORE — The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday released a revised list of sanctuary jurisdictions throughout the nation.
Baltimore County is the only Maryland jurisdiction named, after an initial list unveiled in May identified 10 Cities and 8 Counties in the state as "sanctuary."
DOJ designates jurisdictions as "sanctuary" if they impose policies that "materially impede enforcement of federal immigration statutes and regulations."
Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's, and Talbot Counties all made DOJ's original list.
Initially, the cities of Annapolis, Baltimore, Cheverly, College Park, Edmonston, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Mount Rainier, Rockville, and Takoma Park were listed as well.
According to DOJ, jurisdictions need to "remediate their policies, practices, and laws," in order to be taken-off the list.
WMAR-2 News asked DOJ how they reached their conclusion to remove all Maryland jurisdictions from the original list, with exception to Baltimore County, despite recent statements from ICE, accusing others, such as Howard County, of still ignoring detainer requests.
In response DOJ said the list is thoroughly reviewed on a regular basis, meaning jurisdictions could be added or removed at anytime, depending on their compliance with "documented laws, ordinances, and executive directives."
MORE: ICE accuses Howard County of freeing convicted rapist days after violating probation
For their part, Baltimore County denied being a "sanctuary jurisdiction."
"We believe our inclusion on this list was in error," Baltimore County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said in a statement. "Our Office of Law is currently contacting the Department of Justice to correct this mistake."
Over the past couple of months, at least two previously convicted sex offenders were arrested by federal immigration agents in Baltimore County.
Earlier this year, WMAR-2 News reported on a study ranking Maryland tenth in the nation for ignoring ICE detainers.
The Center for Immigration Studies found 384 undocumented migrants wanted by ICE were freed in Maryland between October 1, 2022, and February 6, 2025.
