Some Maryland counties offer more cooperation to federal immigration officials

by AMANDA SMITH and JACK PACIOTTI
Capital News Service

President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order Wednesday targeting jurisdictions that do not fully cooperate with the federal government to enforce immigration law. Immigrant rights groups and city and county officials were scrambling Thursday to fully understand how the order to deny federal funds to "sanctuary cities" could affect them.

At present, some counties in Maryland do much more than others to help federal immigration agents apprehend undocumented immigrants. For example, in Frederick County, corrections officials will give the Dept. of Homeland Security 48 hours notice before releasing someone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant -- or hold them for 48 hours beyond their official release date. But Prince George's County, for example, doesn't comply with such requests.Source: Immigrant Legal Resource Center.