The bill prohibits “certain schools, libraries, and units of State government that operate at certain sensitive locations from allowing certain federal personnel to access certain areas, subject to certain exceptions.” It doesn’t specify whether it will honor ICE’s administrative warrants.

“As Governor Moore reviews the hundreds of bills put forward this session, he will continue to work with the State Legislature, local leaders, and all partners involved to ensure that we are passing legislation that will make Maryland safer, more affordable, more competitive, and the state that serves,” Carter Elliott, IV, Moore’s press secretary, said Tuesday when asked whether the governor would sign the bill into law.

The legislation also includes House Bill 1222, which would strip local police’s ability to work with federal immigration authorities through the 287(g) program in arresting and detaining illegal immigrants.

Victoria Francis, deputy director of state and local initiatives for the American Immigration Council in Washington, said the bill’s introduction and now passage speak to the impact that immigration enforcement has had on students and school communities since Jan. 20.

“Policies like SB 828 are designed to protect students and create a safe learning environment,” Francis said in an email. “When students and families cannot trust that their schools are safe, it can result in chronic absenteeism and lower academic achievement.”

Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, school district leaders and education associations have become concerned about protecting children in K-12 schools from “raids” targeting illegal immigrant students.

On Trump’s first day in office, he rescinded a Biden-era policy that barred federal immigration officers from entering “sensitive” areas, including churches, hospitals, and schools. The move was meant to give ICE the ability to arrest criminal illegal immigrants and those who were ordered deported by a judge but not yet removed.

Since then, states have taken action to limit ICE. Maryland and 10 other blue states have put forth legislation to limit ICE’s access, bar school officials from working with ICE, or alert parents if ICE shows up at a school.

“Bills in Rhode Island, California, Illinois, and Nevada prohibit schools from allowing immigration enforcement access to school facilities without proper documentation, like a judicial warrant or a court order,” Francis said. “In Tennessee and California, bills have been introduced requiring immediate notification to school communities and parents about any immigration officers on the premises.”

Connecticut’s efforts have gone further than most, with the state legislature passing a bill that requires schools to appoint a main point of contact for ICE.

If signed into law, the Maryland attorney general must also develop guidance on immigration enforcement at the aforementioned locations and how to interact with ICE.

On the contrary, Iowa recently sued Winneshiek County after Sheriff Dan Marx’s office said it would take action to “interfere and interrupt” ICE arrests in the county.

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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, a Republican, responded that anyone who threatens to block, interfere, or interrupt federal immigration enforcement operations “will be held accountable” and sued to defund the county.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment.