Maryland House advances bills to regulate private immigrant detention centers, Baltimore reacts

Two bills aimed at restricting private immigrant detention facilities cleared the House Government, Labor and Elections Committee and advanced to the full Maryland House on Feb. 23, 2026, placing Baltimore City Del. Melissa Wells at the center of a statewide response to recently scrutinized warehouse and office sites. HB1017 and HB1018 would impose zoning limits and minimum safety standards that could affect sites under review in Elkridge, Hagerstown and elsewhere.

House Bill 1018, sponsored by Del. Vaughn Stewart (D–Montgomery County), would establish minimum safety, inspection and readiness standards for jails across the state. Stewart said, “House Bill 1018 ensures that if detention occurs in Maryland, it must meet clear safety, health and oversight standards.” He added, “It doesn't regulate federal enforcement decisions. It just sets minimum safety inspection and readiness standards for all jails in the state, whether it's public, private, federal, state, county, whatever.” Some lawmakers flagged potential Supremacy Clause conflicts over imposing state requirements on federal detention operations.

House Bill 1017, sponsored by Del. Melissa Wells (D–Baltimore City), would bar state and local governments from approving a building as a private immigration detention center unless the site is explicitly zoned for that use. Wells cited Howard County’s recent actions as a motivating example after an August 2025 building permit in Elkridge listed work by McKeever Services described as “improvement of tenant spaces support areas, detention facility, detainee processing and secured waiting area.” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said the county’s records indicated “at the time the permit was granted, it was unclear that the building was intended for occupancy by ICE.”

Local governments around Baltimore have already taken preventive or reactive steps. Baltimore County enacted immediate-effect legislation intended to block private detention facilities and County Executive Kathy Klausmeier said, “In Baltimore County, protecting the safety, dignity and rights of our community is our top priority,” adding, “This legislation responds to a troubling national pattern of immigrant families being detained in facilities that have opened without notice or consideration of community impact.” A person identified only as Jones warned about permits: “If there's a permit on file, if somebody applied for a permit, it will be canceled.” Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka was scheduled for a Feb. 24 public hearing on a separate facial coverings ban for law enforcement as part of a broader local package that included creation of an Office of Immigrant Affairs.

The statewide fight has already generated litigation and partisan divides. Maryland’s attorney general filed a suit to block a planned detention project in Washington County, while the five-member Washington County Commissioners, all Republicans, adopted a resolution stating they “express full support for DHS and ICE, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and local municipal law enforcement agencies in their efforts to maintain public safety and uphold the rule of law.” At the same time, Gov. Wes Moore signed emergency legislation banning 287(g) agreements and gave nine counties, Allegany, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, Garrett, St. Mary’s, Washington and Wicomico, 90 days to end existing agreements; some sheriffs are considering legal challenges.

Lawmakers are considering related measures this week including bills that would limit questions about detainees’ citizenship status (SB791/HB1575), prohibit businesses from selling personal data for immigration enforcement (SB504/HB711), and ban police from wearing masks on duty (HB155), with hearings scheduled in the coming days. The immediate procedural next step is a full House vote on HB1017 and HB1018; if passed, the bills would reshape zoning and oversight for privately run detention facilities as concurrent legal fights over federal versus state authority continue across Maryland.