ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A remarkable collection of legislation advanced through Maryland in 2026, moving the state further left on immigration enforcement, policing, guns, congressional redistricting and the relationship between state government and Washington.
Several measures directly restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities, while another creates a state cause of action against federal officers accused of violating constitutional rights. Lawmakers also advanced new gun restrictions, protections around immigration enforcement at sensitive locations and a controversial constitutional amendment affecting congressional redistricting.
Supporters describe the legislation as protecting civil rights, immigrants and Maryland residents from federal overreach. Republicans, sheriffs and other opponents see something very different: a Democratic supermajority increasingly using state power to obstruct federal immigration enforcement, restrict gun ownership and reshape political representation.
- Maryland enacted multiple measures restricting state and local participation in federal immigration enforcement.
- Several of the year’s most divisive measures produced lawsuits, partisan floor fights or challenges from county sheriffs and the Trump administration.
- A separate August redistricting amendment could affect the future of Maryland’s only Republican-held congressional district.
1. Community Trust Act Restricts Cooperation With ICE
The Community Trust Act, SB 791/HB 1575, became one of the year’s biggest state-versus-federal confrontations…