BRIAN WITTE
Associated Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Gov. Martin O’Malley has directed a state-run jail in Baltimore to only comply with federal requests to hold immigrants beyond their release date if there is probable cause that a crime has been committed.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Casa de Maryland praised the decision on Friday.
The policy adds an additional layer on to restrictions for detaining people that the Democratic governor outlined in April, when he narrowed reasons for honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers to people who were considered threats to public safety.
O’Malley revised the policy in a letter dated Wednesday to the head of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services after receiving an opinion from the office of Maryland’s attorney general.
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