Baltimore City Council weighs “Safe Spaces” bill limiting city cooperation with ICE in public facilities

Legislation would codify new limits on city resources and access to municipal spaces

Baltimore City Council members are moving toward tighter rules governing when and how city agencies may interact with federal immigration enforcement, as local officials respond to heightened concern about ICE activity in the region and a broader push for new guardrails at the state level.

The central proposal, titled “Baltimore City Policies and Procedures – Safe Spaces and Communities,” was introduced in February and sent to the City Council’s Public Safety and Government Operations Committee. The measure would require city agencies to develop and implement a plan to limit immigration-enforcement activity in city-owned or city-operated spaces, including government buildings, schools, libraries, and parks. It also seeks to restrict city personnel, funds, and resources from being used to coordinate with immigration enforcement activities except when legally required, including situations involving court-authorized warrants.

Mayor’s executive order sets baseline; council legislation aims to make it durable

The council initiative follows an executive order signed by Mayor Brandon Scott in early March that bars ICE agents from using city buildings as staging areas and restricts entry into certain government offices without a judicial warrant. The order also directs city practices intended to reduce immigration-status inquiries during routine interactions and expands city-backed legal support options for residents navigating immigration-related issues.

Council sponsors and supporters have described the pending bill as a way to place those executive-branch directives into city law, a step that would typically make key provisions harder to reverse without formal council action.

Committee hearing highlighted operational questions, including documentation and enforcement

The Public Safety and Government Operations Committee held a hearing on March 10 to gather testimony on implementation, oversight, and what would constitute prohibited coordination. During the hearing, council members discussed how agencies should respond to requests for information or access by federal officers, and how the city would document interactions that occur in municipal spaces.

One element raised in public discussion around the bill is increased recordkeeping of encounters with federal immigration officers, including the handling of access requests and the circumstances under which city staff may comply.

Related measures target detention infrastructure and state cooperation agreements

The council’s immigration-related agenda has expanded beyond municipal facilities. On March 9, a separate bill was introduced to ban private detention centers in Baltimore through zoning restrictions, reflecting similar legislative moves elsewhere in Maryland. Local lawmakers have framed the proposal as a preventative measure aimed at blocking privately operated detention uses within city limits.

At the state level, Maryland enacted emergency legislation in February banning 287(g) agreements—formal arrangements that authorize local law enforcement agencies to perform certain immigration-enforcement functions in partnership with ICE. The city council has also advanced a resolution urging state action aligned with limiting such partnerships and addressing transparency issues during enforcement operations.

• Safe Spaces and Communities bill: focuses on city facilities, personnel, and information access rules.
• Private detention center zoning bill: seeks to prohibit privately operated detention facilities within Baltimore.
• State 287(g) ban: ends formal local law-enforcement partnership agreements with ICE across Maryland.

The legislation now remains in the committee process, with amendments and administrative feasibility expected to shape what enforcement and compliance would look like across city agencies.

Next steps include further committee consideration and potential revisions before any full-council vote.