Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins did not sound surprised. Asked about his primary win, he said immigration has “always been the big issue, every four years.” Then he added: “I will stand by the fact that Frederick County is a safer place because of that program,” meaning his office’s work with ICE.
Jenkins was one of five Maryland county sheriffs who backed cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sued the state over it, and then ran for reelection on strict immigration enforcement. All five won their Republican primaries this week, according to poll results. The Baltimore Sun reported that each faced challengers who ran as soft on crime and immigration, and each won anyway.
The winners are Jeff Gahler of Harford County, James T. “Jim” DeWees of Carroll County, Matthew Crisafulli of Worcester County, Mike Lewis of Wicomico County and Jenkins. Crisafulli is now effectively assured a new term, since no Democrat is running against him in November. Jenkins said he reads his result as proof that his constituents stand with law and order.
The lawsuit behind the campaigns
The primaries followed a court fight. In May, seventeen Maryland county sheriffs joined a federal lawsuit to block the state’s newly passed “Community Trust Act” (SB0791), which they say gives sanctuary to people in the country illegally. Gahler, the Harford County sheriff, led the group.
The bill passed the House of Delegates 92-37 and the state Senate 32-15, and it became law without Democratic Gov. Wes Moore’s signature.
Gahler called the law “an intentional state-mandated obstruction of public safety.” He said it “deliberately ties the hands of our dedicated local deputies, police officers and correctional officers” and forbids them from sharing information with federal authorities.
Crisafulli framed it the same way. “This issue, ladies and gentlemen, is not about politics. It’s about public safety,” he said, adding that the law hampers the ability to safeguard the boundaries of their counties.
The suit argues the law violates federal authority over immigration policy and the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It also says the law forces state law enforcement to break federal law by harboring illegal migrants.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) backs the suit. “Sanctuary laws are not only dangerous to our communities, but they are also flatly unconstitutional,” said Dale L. Wilcox, FAIR’s executive director and general counsel. He said the aim of the suit is to let Maryland sheriffs keep their communities safe by striking down the law.
