FOX45 News: Jurisdictions ignoring ICE detainers is ‘absolutely insane,’ Larry Hogan says

During a campaign event in Stevensville on Thursday, FOX45 News questioned Hogan about the patchwork of policies in place in Maryland.

What happens at the southern border of the United States is becoming a central point in the political landscape nationally and in Maryland as the U.S. Senate race continues to draw attention.

In Maryland, there’s a patchwork of policies for how local law enforcement works with federal agents to handle immigrants who may have entered the country unlawfully and who have violent criminal pasts.

Currently, several jurisdictions do not honor ICE detainers, meaning federal immigration officials don’t know if a suspect they have on a list to be detained is released from custody.

Some jurisdictions, most recently Baltimore County, did not honor the detainers but recently reached a compromise with ICE to provide notice before releasing someone who may also have an immigration detainer.

Gov. Wes Moore has yet to comment on whether there needs to be a statewide policy for how law enforcement handles ICE detainers; FOX45 News sent questions to his office Tuesday but did not get a response.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan is the current Republican U.S. Senate candidate running against the  Democrat, Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive. Prince George’s County is one county that has sanctuary city status, indicating it does not work with ICE when it comes to detainers.

During a campaign event touting economic policies in Stevensville on Thursday, FOX45 News asked Hogan about the patchwork of policies in place in Maryland.

“Right now, it’s a disaster. When we have local elected officials — like Angela Alsobrooks — who refuse to follow federal law and then refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement agents, it’s absolutely insane,” Hogan said Wednesday during a campaign event.

He noted he was against legislation that surfaced during his time in office that would have designated Maryland a sanctuary state. But when questioned about what he would do about his concerns from Washington as a member of the U.S. Senate, Hogan offered few specifics.

Alsobrooks, a former Prince George’s County state’s attorney, believes violent criminals belong in prison, according to campaign spokesperson Gina Ford.

“Angela believes violent criminals belong in prison, and as State’s Attorney, she cut violent crime in half. Unfortunately, the federal government has failed to reform our immigration and border policies, leaving counties across Maryland to fill in the gaps,” Ford said in a statement. “That’s why Angela supported the recent bipartisan reforms to add border patrol agents and fund ICE but that reform was blocked by Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell.”