Baltimore Councilmembers Ramos, Gray, Parker Introduce Two Measures Limiting ICE

Baltimore City Councilmembers Odette Ramos, Paris Gray, and Mark Parker introduced two measures aimed at limiting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and restricting city cooperation with immigration enforcement. The proposals, filed February 9, were accepted for consideration and will move to the council’s public safety committee before a vote.

The first measure, titled Baltimore City Policies and Procedures - Safe Spaces and Communities, would require city agencies to prepare and implement plans to protect public spaces by limiting ICE enforcement activity. Sponsors and coverage identify city-owned offices, buildings, schools, libraries and parks as the primary sites covered. The bill would also bar city government resources, personnel and funds from being used by or in coordination with ICE within Baltimore city limits.

Councilman Mark Parker described the intent as codifying existing practice, saying the bill “is taking two existing policies and putting them into city law. The first is an executive order that's been updated over the years by our mayors, and certainly by Mayor Brandon Scott whose leadership has been very steadfast in this regard and very clear. The other is Baltimore Police Department policy around specific interactions with immigration enforcement, both the kind of on the street and in other ways. It's taking those existing policies and putting the force of law behind them and allowing the City Council to affirm those policies, strengthen them.” That framing points to a shift from executive guidance and department policy toward ordinance-level enforcement.

The second measure urges state action. It calls on Maryland lawmakers to ban 287(g) agreements that deputize local law enforcement to perform immigration enforcement and would prohibit federal immigration officials from wearing masks or face coverings while conducting immigration operations. Sponsors say this step is intended to reduce secrecy in enforcement actions and limit the city’s role in facilitating federal immigration work.

Council President Zeke Cohen emphasized public-safety stakes, saying “Over-aggressive ICE tactics make our city more dangerous at a time when Baltimore is making extraordinary gains in reducing violence,” and “The brutality of ICE agents threatens to shatter trust in local law enforcement. People are afraid to call the police.” Coverage of the measures also noted a local context for the push: one report linked the proposals to viral video footage showing poor conditions inside the city’s ICE detention facility.

Supporters say the bills aim to protect community members, including American citizens and immigrants, and to preserve trust between residents and the Baltimore Police Department. One council member described the approach as focused on de-escalation, saying “It's really just about de-escalation, which is exactly what is currently in BPD policies and again doing exactly what we've always been doing as a welcoming city not asking for status not sharing information and you know if a nice agent does enter a public space that there are certain questions that are asked and that they're not allowed into the spaces that are not public.”

The measures face a procedural path through the public safety committee, where councilmembers, BPD leadership, the mayor’s office, state legislators and community groups can offer testimony. If advanced, the bills would raise questions about legal scope, enforcement mechanisms and the state role in restricting 287(g) agreements. For Baltimore residents, the proposals signal possible new protections for city-owned spaces and a sustained push to limit local involvement in federal immigration enforcement.