A Maryland Democratic lawmaker is sponsoring legislation that would prevent immigration officers hired by the Trump administration from obtaining law enforcement positions within the state government.

State Delegate Adrian Boafo, representing Prince George’s County, is introducing the “ICE Breaker Act of 2026.” The proposed bill aims to disqualify individuals who joined the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency after President Trump was sworn into office on January 20, 2025 from serving as police or law enforcement officers in Maryland.

“These are a group of people who, under the cover of masks and without proper identification, are willfully executing Donald Trump’s racist immigration policies through harassment, intimidation, and violence against innocent people,” Mr. Boafo said, according to CBS News. 

“In so doing, they have taken parents from their children, left struggling families without their breadwinners, and have left countless Marylanders afraid to leave their homes,” he said. “These people do not have the training, credentials, or character to serve and protect the people of Maryland. Their values are not ours, and they have no place collecting salaries and benefits from the taxpayers of our state.”

The legislation would not apply to ICE officers hired before the inauguration date, nor would it prohibit these individuals from holding administrative or non-law enforcement roles within the state government.

“Anyone who joined ICE before the inauguration of Donald Trump, anyone who actually swore the oath to try and protect the border, and actually go after violent offenders is not affected,” Mr. Boafo said. “You are welcome to Maryland with open arms.”

The proposal comes amidst a significant expansion of the federal agency. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports hiring more than 12,000 additional ICE officers and agents in less than a year, fueled by incentives such as $50,000 signing bonuses, student loan repayments, and the elimination of age restrictions.

“The good news is that thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill that President Trump signed, we have an additional 12,000 ICE officers and agents on the ground across the country,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “That’s a 120 percent increase in our workforce, and that’s in just about four months.”

The proposed bill in Maryland has drawn sharp criticism from law enforcement officials and advocates who view it as a political maneuver. Betsy Smith, a spokesman for the National Police Association, called the proposal misleading and noted that lateral transfers between federal and local agencies already require rigorous vetting.

“I would wonder what this politician would think about an ICE agent who applied and got hired by ICE under Barack Obama,” Ms. Smith said, CBS News reported. “It sounds as though this politician wants people to believe that an ICE agent can just come into their town and tomorrow be a patrol officer in their town… it’s simply ridiculous.”

Meanwhile in Virginia, a Democrat in the General Assembly has put forward a bill to strip law enforcement officials of qualified immunity.

“The bill provides that a person acting under color of law who deprives an individual of such rights and any supervisor of such person who is responsible for directing or overseeing such person’s conduct shall be liable to such individual for compensatory damages, punitive damages, equitable relief, and reasonable attorney fees and costs,” says the legislation introduced by Michelle Lopes Maldonado, who represents Prince William County.