Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler has voiced strong concerns that Maryland's new sanctuary law, the Community Trust Act, could compel local jails to release individuals identified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as public safety or national security threats. Gahler, a 40-year veteran of law enforcement, stated that it is "just a matter of time" before more victims are created due to these restrictions.
Gahler recently testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee regarding the state's limitations on cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. He is also spearheading a lawsuit joined by 15 other sheriffs, representing a significant majority of Maryland's sheriffs, to challenge the Community Trust Act.
"I don’t want to have to open the jail door and say, ‘Welcome back to Harford County. Go victimize. Let’s create some more victims,’" Gahler told Fox News Digital. He expressed that the law is "insane" and asserted that elected officials who supported the legislation would bear responsibility if individuals released under its provisions commit further crimes.
He accused state officials of prioritizing politics over public safety, suggesting they understand the risks but choose to ignore them. "I think they understand. I think they don’t care," Gahler said. "Those who are on the side of the issue supporting criminal illegal immigration, who voted for this nonsense of ending our agreements and coming up with the Community Trust Act… they do not care."
Gahler highlighted two tragic cases in Harford County that he believes underscore the dangers of such policies. Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was raped and murdered in August 2023. The convicted assailant, Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, was identified as an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. Additionally, Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old autistic woman, was raped and strangled in her home in July 2022. The suspect, Walter Javier Martinez, is reportedly an MS-13 member from El Salvador who entered the U.S. illegally as an unaccompanied minor. Gahler noted that neither victim's family received outreach from those who supported the state's immigration restrictions.
According to Gahler, the Community Trust Act restricts when Maryland authorities can inquire about a person's immigration status, detain individuals based on suspected civil immigration violations, or notify ICE when someone is in custody. Maryland Governor Wes Moore allowed the bill to become law without his signature.
Rhyan Lake, Senior Communications Strategist for Governor Moore, stated in a release to Fox News Digital, "Maryland will never be a sanctuary for criminals under Governor Moore. In fact, since Governor Moore took office, Maryland is seeing some of the largest drops in violent crime in the country."
Lake added, "We will always work with the federal administration when it comes to making our communities safer, but untrained, unqualified, and unaccountable ICE agents arresting five-year-olds and ripping mothers from their families does not make anyone safer. In Maryland, we’ll continue holding violent offenders accountable and protecting Marylanders’ constitutional rights and basic dignity."
Gahler and the sheriffs argue that the Community Trust Act dismantled a previous jail-based partnership with ICE under the federal 287(g) program. He clarified that his deputies were not conducting immigration raids but were cooperating with federal partners when individuals were already in custody on criminal charges. "We do not do ICE’s job for them. We work with our federal partners. We don’t replace our federal partners," Gahler said.
He explained that the 287(g) program allowed for the safe transfer of individuals already jailed on criminal allegations to ICE custody within the secure facility, rather than potentially riskier encounters after release. "Anytime we don’t have to do a raid in law enforcement, it’s safer," he stated. "You have the person secured. Turn them over to ICE because ICE says they pose a threat to public safety or national security."
Gahler linked the current situation to the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, recalling that communication gaps between law enforcement agencies were a key lesson learned. He believes the Community Trust Act is rebuilding those barriers. "The complete takeaway from 9/11 was that we didn’t communicate" effectively across local, state and federal agencies, Gahler said. "The Community Trust Act… forbids us from talking to a federal law enforcement partner. It doesn’t get any more stupid than that."
The sheriffs intend to continue their legal challenge and advocate against the law, warning that failure to change course could lead to more victims. "Our job should be to stop increasing the number of angel families," Gahler concluded, "and stop allowing American citizens to be the victims of crime committed by people who are in our country illegally."