Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Civil Liberties topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ACLU of Maryland outlines 2026 priorities to Baltimore County Human Relations Commission
Summary
ACLU of Maryland Deputy Executive Director Veronica Dunlap told the Baltimore County Human Relations Commission the group will push statewide bans on 287(g) jail-to-ICE partnerships, back the Maryland Voting Rights Act and pursue Second Look sentencing reforms in 2026.
Veronica Dunlap, deputy executive director of the ACLU of Maryland, presented the organization’s 2026 priorities to the Baltimore County Human Relations Commission on Jan. 14, urging local leaders to support measures she said would protect civil liberties across the state.
Dunlap told commissioners the ACLU’s “theory of change” centers on helping people participate fully in society “without suffering exploitation and harm because of their identities, abilities, or whom they love,” and described five operating principles—transparency, collaboration, anti-racism, integrity and accountability—that will guide the group’s legislative strategy in Annapolis this year.
She said the ACLU will push legislation to end local 287(g) agreements, which she described as contracts that allow local law enforcement to perform federal immigration enforcement duties. “These agreements erode community trust, separate families, and use local tax dollars, including dollars right here in Baltimore County, to advance the federal deportation agenda,” Dunlap said. She added nationally that “76 percent of people detained or deported through 287(g) had no criminal convictions,” a statistic she presented while urging counties to end those partnerships.
Dunlap also described the Maryland Voting Rights Act as a top priority, saying the bill would create a state-level remedy for vote dilution, expand tools to challenge discriminatory maps and provide a private right of action to address voter intimidation and suppression. On criminal-justice reform, she said the ACLU will continue work on the Second Look Act to expand review opportunities for people sentenced as young adults, and pursue other measures to give eligible people a chance for sentence review.
Commissioners thanked Dunlap for the briefing and asked for follow-up materials; Dunlap said the ACLU will publish its full slate of 2026 priorities on its website and social channels soon. The presentation concluded with a request by the chair that commissioners note areas for future collaboration between the commission and the ACLU.
The commission’s materials and the ACLU’s priorities were discussed during the meeting’s presentation segment and are available on the commission’s meeting record.
