Community Trust Act Will Become Law Without Governor Wes Moore’s Signature

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Leading up to his fourth and final bill-signing session of the year, Gov. Wes Moore announced that he’d allow a highly discussed immigration-related bill to go into effect without his signature.

The Community Trust Act, sponsored by Sen. Clarence Lam (D-Anne Arundel and Howard), would end the practice of accepting administrative warrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold detainees. Under the law, local law enforcement officials would only be obligated to recognize a judicial warrant.

The act has been called a complement to the emergency bill HB444/SB245, which passed and was signed early in the legislative session and banned 287(g) agreements, formal cooperation agreements between ICE and local law enforcement agencies. Sheriffs from around the state spoke out in disagreement with this law in February.

Moore said in a statement that he agrees with the idea of keeping local law enforcement focused on local crime, but that the bill “presents real implementation challenges that must be addressed through executive action and in next year’s legislative session.”

In Maryland, the governor has 30 days following the end of the legislative session to sign bills or veto them. If the governor chooses not to veto before the end of the 30 days, that bill automatically becomes law.

Moore has signed more than 250 bills into law since the end of the 2026 legislative session in April. Maryland’s legislature meets annually for 90 days from January to April. The 2027 session is scheduled to run from January 13 to April 12.