By Steve Crane | Editor-in-chief
“There's a very deliberate strategy on the part of the government to move people around to hide them in the system, also to move them to legal jurisdictions where the law is not as protective.” - Maureen Sweeney, who directs the Immigration Clinic at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, on the ICE practice of moving detainees between far-flung immigrant detention facilities.
It’s getting colder, it’s getting dark earlier — and the city of Annapolis shut down the fountain in Church Circle, all sure signs that winter is on the way. But while the world may feel like it’s slowing down, the news isn’t.
When Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests someone in Maryland, odds are that the person will be sent to a detention center halfway across the country and may be moved repeatedly. Critics say the moves, far from family and legal support, may be by design, as Capital News Service’s Mehedi Marof reports.
A week after winning reelection, Gov. Wes Moore, already best-selling author, has another book coming out in March, this one on “healing a divided nation.” The not-Maryland-specific book joins a shelf of books about fixing the nation from other Democrats who have been mentioned, like Moore, as potential 2028 presidential candidates. Bryan P. Sears has that story.
Those stories — and the tale of a Baltimore-raised Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor this summer, almost 60 years after the action that earned it — are below. Along with commentary and headlines from the week. Enjoy!
Immigration and Customs Enforcement records show three in four people the agency detained after arrests in Maryland were held in Louisiana, Texas or Mississippi, far from home and outside the appeals court that covers the state. (Photo courtesy Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
By Mehedi Marof
Six months ago, Maria Flores Garcia, 19, stood before her classmates at Parkdale High School in Prince George's County and gave the valedictory speech. “Congratulations, class of 2026, and remember that dreams don’t have limits or borders,” she said.
Now the University of Maryland freshman, who came to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was 9, is in an immigration detention center in Louisiana with her mother, more than 1,000 miles from their home.
Their path is a common one. About nine in 10 people ICE detained after arrests in Maryland spent most of their detention outside the state, a Capital News Service analysis of agency records found. Many were moved from one facility to another, in judicial circuits that are not as friendly to immigrants and far from families, attorneys and support.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) will release a new book in March. He joins a number of other Democrats listed as potential candidates for president in 2028 who have also released books. (File photo by Bryan P. Sears/Maryland Matters)
By Bryan P. Sears
Fresh off a second thumping of Republican Dan Cox to win reelection to a second term as governor a week ago, Gov. Wes Moore (D) turned his attention this week to fixing the nation.
At least that's the thrust of the book he touted Wednesday, "Repair: Healing A Divided Nation." Scheduled for a March 2027 release, Moore's book is billed "as a bold interrogation of where America falls short, what we still do right, and how we can fix our broken systems together," said a statement from his publisher.
For a guy who refuses to say he won't run for president in two years, Moore sure seems to be checking all the boxes. While Moore has been coy about his plans and if they include a 2028 presidential run, he’s spent a great deal his first term traveling the country fundraising and building political relationships, as well as being a regular on network news programs. And with his latest book, he joins the list of other Democrats mentioned as potential 2028 presidential candidates, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others.
IN OTHER NEWS
A long path to the Medal of Honor: It took almost 59 years after he was severely injured in a firefight in Vietnam, but retired Maj. James Capers, born in South Carolina and raised in Baltimore, finally got the Medal of Honor in June for his bravery in 1967.
Goals for the 120th freshmen: With a sweeping majority in the next Congress, newly elected Democrats arrived in Washington vowing to act on their agenda of affordability and accountability -- and for Maryland’s Adrian Boafo, on help for federal workers.
Political notes: Gov. Wes Moore answers more questions about his military service for Chuck Todd, and he adds a legislative aide from the Maryland Municipal League, which got good news from a UMBC poll on how people feel about government, in political notes.
TODAY'S COMMENTARY
Maryland has managed to place about half of the children in its foster care system in kinship care, but Sarah Font and Emily Putnam-Hornstein write that it has been able to do so only by severely relaxing security checks on those it regards as kin.
MATTERS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
Microplastics, macro problem: A small-scale study of water samples taken from 15 different sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed found microplastics at every site, whether in the form of plastic fiber, film, beads or fragments, environmental groups announced.
Healthcare policies: A healthcare coverage watchdog group is urging lawmakers to free up funding to meet a "desperate need" for revenue to help keep people insured, calling to extend a 1% tax on insurance policies that is set to expire in 2028, among other changes.
Montgomery keeps incinerator: A divided Montgomery County Council voted 6-5 Tuesday in favor of a plan that would keep the county's trash incinerator open beyond 2031, rejecting a plan to haul the county's waste out of state for landfilling.
Penman removed from Harford Council: Harford County Council member Aaron Penman was removed from office Tuesday, after the Supreme Court of Maryland ruled that he cannot be on the council at the same time he's employed as a sheriff's deputy.
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