The Maryland General Assembly took a historic step by ending 287(g) agreements statewide, shutting down the most visible pipeline between local law enforcement and ICE. But ICE continues to depend on informal forms of local cooperation such as voluntary information sharing and notifications and transfers, that often occur outside of public scrutiny.

The Maryland General Assembly has the opportunity to stop using state funds to funnel residents into the ICE deportation machine by passing the Community Trust Act HB1575/SB791 but time is running out before Crossover Day (March 23).

We are asking you to make four calls to key legislators to advocate for this critical bill.

We are thrilled that all slots have been filled! If you have not signed up for a slot but would like to make calls, please still do so and fill out the report back form below!

INSTRUCTIONS

Use the phone numbers and script below as a guide, but feel free to share any personal reasons for why you support the Community Trust Act. If someone from the office does not pick up, please leave a message.

You will be calling the following key legislators:

• Senator President Bill Ferguson: 410-841-3600
• Senate Judicial Proceedings Chair Will Smith: 410-841-3634
• Senate Judicial Proceedings Vice-Chair Jeff Waldstreicher: 410-841-3137
• House Judiciary Chair Sandy Bartlett: 410-841-3370
• You may also choose to make calls to your own legislators, especially if they serve on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee or House Judiciary Committee.

After you make your calls, please fill out this report back form. This will help us know if you talked to staff or left a voicemail, and any other important information from your call.

Remember to thank the staff you talk to - they work hard and have fielded a lot of our calls!

CALL GUIDE

Please note that legislators' staff have told constituents that it sounds like they are reading from a script. Below are some optional talking points. Please personalize these – the most important thing is to use your voice and make a call, regardless of whether you use the script or your own words!

Senate President Bill Ferguson

• Start your call by introducing yourself briefly. "Hi, my name is __________ and I live in District ___. I’m calling to urge you to pass the Community Trust Act."
• Thank the Senate President for using his leadership to move Maryland forward by banning 287(g) agreements but make it clear that informal cooperation is still occurring and that not allowing this bill to get a vote would enable residents to continue being funneled into the harmful deportation machine.
• Highlight why you care about ending informal cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE (see example language below). We invite you to lean into moral outrage – it would be shameful for the Senate not to pass SB791 and thereby continue to use state funds to funnel residents into ICE’s harmful deportation machine.
• Urge Senate President Ferguson to commit to using his leadership position to stop close loopholes that allow for continued collaboration with ICE and to stop using Maryland funds to funnel residents into the harmful deportation machine by passing SB791, the Community Trust Act, before Crossover Day.
• Ask: "Will the Senate President get the Community Trust Act on a vote list this week?"

Chair Bartlett, Chair Smith & Vice-Chair Waldstreicher

• Start your call by introducing yourself briefly. "Hi my name is ___ and I live in District __. I’m calling to urge Delegate/Senator __ to vote the Community Trust Act out of committee before Crossover Day."
• Thank them for helping to ban 287(g) agreements, but make it clear that several counties are still voluntarily funneling our neighbors into ICE custody through "informal" backchannels and that the Community Trust Act will help put an end to these forms of collaboration.
• Highlight why you care about ending informal cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE (see example language below).
• Express your desire for SB791/HB1575 to be called for a vote now so that the bill can pass by Crossover Day on March 23.

Your Own Legislators: If you want to call your own legislators as well, please feel free to adapt the above scripts to urge them to vote in favor of the Community Trust Act.

Additional Talking Points

Example language for why ending informal collaboration with ICE is below, but you should speak from the heart and use your own words! This is a guide, not a script!

• Lean into a moral argument: every human being, regardless of their place of birth, is worthy of dignity, care, and love. We hope that Maryland will show the type of state it wishes to be: one that values its immigrant neighbors and that will uphold their right to human dignity, inclusion, and belonging.
  
• Maryland doesn’t have a legal obligation to assist ICE in immigration enforcement, which is a federal responsibility and already funded at an unprecedented level. Continued voluntary collaboration is a political choice that wastes Maryland taxpayer dollars and makes our communities less safe.
• Currently, several Maryland counties still informally collaborate with ICE, funneling four times more people into the deportation pipeline than formal agreements —often before they have even had their day in court. This voluntary collusion wastes taxpayer dollars and makes our communities less safe.
• We have seen a big decrease in individuals accessing food pantries, churches, and other vital services since the beginning of last year. We want to ensure that everyone receives the care they need and that they are not afraid to leave their homes, to report crimes, and to just be part of our communities as they always have been.
  
• Nearly 1 in 3 (29%) of the 3300+ Marylanders arrested by ICE in 2025 were transferred from local jails and other lock-ups and 82% of these transfers were non-287(g) related. Most people in local jails have not been convicted of any crime at all, and many are accused only of low-level offenses like trespassing or disorderly conduct. This means local jails are voluntarily holding and helping transfer innocent people to ICE.
• Federal agents are assaulting, arresting, and disappearing immigrant members of our communities and those who are standing up against these federal actions, in order to terrorize and sow division so that they can cling to power. Our local and state governments must reject these brutal assaults and do everything within their power to protect Marylanders, regardless of immigration status.