For Immediate Release: January 24, 2025  

Maryland “Protecting Sensitive Locations Act” to be Introduced to Address Trump’s Dangerous Policy Rollback
CASA leading the fight to safeguard schools, hospitals, courthouses, and more from ICE

ANNAPOLIS, MD – In response to the rollback of the federal sensitive locations policy that limited ICE access to sensitive locations, CASA is leading a campaign to pass similar protections at the state level. A cornerstone of CASA’s Immigrant Justice Package, the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act is an emergency bill that will create guidance around ICE access to schools, courthouses, healthcare facilities, places of worship, and other essential spaces.

Since 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has maintained standing guidance requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to refrain from immigration enforcement actions in certain areas (previously known as “Sensitive Locations”). In 2021, the Biden administration issued a memo expanding the definitions of these areas, which included schools, healthcare facilities, places of worship, places where children gather, social services providers, disaster/emergency response sites, and included weddings, funerals, and religious ceremonies; and parades, demonstrations, and rallies.

Now, as part of Trump’s cruel and inhumane attack on immigrants, he has removed the protections of these “Sensitive Locations” and authorized ICE agents to take enforcement actions in any of these spaces and areas. This unprecedented directive is cruel and designed to create fear in immigrant communities everywhere.  

Executive Director Gustavo Torres said, “While President Trump has threatened mass deportations and to shut down places that are friendly to our friends and neighbors, we are ready to fight back. We will not stand by while families are separated and lives are disrupted. We will leverage every available judicial, administrative, organizing, and legislative tool to defend the protections that exist at the national level, and where those protections are threatened, we will fight back at the state and local levels. What makes this moment powerful is that we are not alone. Hundreds of legislators, faith leaders, labor leaders, and allies are stepping up to join this fight for justice.”  

The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act is sponsored in the House by the Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Del. Jheanelle K. Wilkins, who is also an immigrant from Jamaica and co-led by the House Chair of the Jewish Caucus, Delegate Jared Solomon, who represents Maryland’s 18th District. The bill is championed in the Senate by the Chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, Sen. William Smith, who, like Chair Wilkins, is representing Maryland’s 20th District.  This act establishes clear guidelines on the access ICE has to sensitive locations in Maryland. This includes schools, courthouses, hospitals, places of worship, and other spaces where Maryland residents receive vital services and resources. The bill is on track to be introduced next week as an emergency bill.

CASA’s Policy Director Cathryn Paul said, “This legislation makes it clear that Maryland stands firmly against fear-mongering and intimidation, especially when it threatens fundamental rights like access to medical care or education. The Trump administration’s move to eliminate the federal sensitive locations policy is a calculated assault on the safety and dignity of immigrant communities. The choice between receiving life-saving care and the devastating fear of being separated from their family by ICE is an impossible one.”

Chair Jheanelle Wilkins said, “No one in Maryland should live in fear of being targeted in spaces intended to provide security, care, and justice. Schools, hospitals, and courthouses must remain havens, not sites of intimidation or harm by ICE. I am proud to sponsor this legislation to protect our most vulnerable and take a stand against policies rooted in cruelty. In Maryland, we must uphold our values of dignity and safety for everyone.”
Chair William Smith said, “The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act is about keeping our communities safe and ensuring people can trust the institutions that serve them. When that trust is broken, it doesn’t just harm individuals, it hurts our entire state. This bill puts clear, fair limits in place to protect public safety, rebuild trust, and make sure Maryland is a state where everyone is treated with dignity.”
Chair Jared Solomon said  “As House Chair of the Jewish Caucus, I am guided by the fundamental Jewish values of protecting the vulnerable. This bill is about making sure that kids can go to school, parents can take their kids to the hospital, and families can worship without fear. These are not just Jewish values, they are also Maryland values. Our state must lead with compassion and fairness for all people.”

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With over 173,000 lifetime members across 46 US states, CASA is a national powerhouse organization building power and improving the quality of life in the working-class: Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities. CASA creates change with its power building model blending human services, community organizing, and advocacy in order to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of members. www.wearecasa.org