Baltimore County is no longer on the US Department of Homeland Security list of designated sanctuary jurisdictions, joining the state of Maryland and every other municipality and county statewide.

According to a recent announcement, Baltimore County has been removed from a list of localities that were designated by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as sanctuary jurisdictions. The press release from Baltimore County shares that a recent memorandum of understanding between the county and DHS clarifies county procedures that have been in place since before the current federal administration took over.

As previously covered on Conduit Street, DHS published an initial list in August that included eight counties and Baltimore City but that list was quickly removed following backlash from a number of associations including the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA). Since that time the list was revised leaving just Baltimore County as the only location in Maryland, but has now been removed.

Following the original DHS announcement, members of the NSA – many of whom manage local law enforcement and corrections in the listed jurisdictions – responded immediately in a statement reiterating their disappointment and a need for better coordination and communication from DHS:

This list was created without any input, criteria of compliance, or a mechanism for how to object to the designation. Sheriffs nationwide have no way to know what they must do or not do to avoid this arbitrary label. The completion and publication of this list has not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between Sheriffs and the White House administration. This is an unfortunate and unnecessary erosion of unity and collaboration with law enforcement and the enforcement of the rule of law at a time when that unity is needed most. This decision by DHS could create a vacuum of trust that may take years to overcome.

The most recent list shows no locations in the state and Maryland is also not listed. Further clarifications on criteria for being on the list have been made available on the DHS website.