"In my 38 years in public safety, I have seen many bills become law that have had devastating impacts on citizens in Maryland. I have never seen a bill that will cause more chaos, death and
destruction then this one." - Sheriff Joe Gamble
In a letter to the Talbot County Council, Sheriff Joe Gamble expressed his opposition to SB 791 in a very direct, dramatic way.
Since the beginning of the 2026 General Assembly session, Maryland legislators have been hard at work trying to oppose the agenda of tens of millions of Americans and the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
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It's been an obsession with them, to the point that they have done little or nothing else to solve the state's problems of outrageously high-power bills, high taxes and fees, raw sewage pouring into the Potomac River, the loss of the Key Bridge, and the $1.9 billion deficit the state has. They haven't attempted to address the flagging business environment and the loss of 2.3 million Marylanders between 2010 and 2023. Maryland ranks near the bottom of states for attracting businesses while it is near the top of states losing population.
They would rather virtue signal while putting Maryland citizens in danger from illegal criminals among other stupid decisions.
It's important to know that the Talbot County Detention Center, unlike some other counties, is not under the jurisdiction of the Talbot County Sheriff's Department. Therefore, any decisions they make are under the purview of the Talbot County Council. Thus, in order to fight the bill, the Talbot County Council must be involved. Here is a link to the detention center:
About Us - Talbot County, Maryland
Here is Sheriff Gamble's Letter with HB 791 attached:
This is a shocking example Gamble presents regarding the people who could be released into our county because of this law:
At present, the Talbot County Detention Center holds eight individuals arrested for
heinous crimes in Talbot County who are subject to lawifil immigration detainers. Those
detainers can and should be served by ICE after they serve their sentences. Of those
eight, three are being held on murder charges, two for kidnapping. and one for horrific
repeated rape of a 12-year-old girl in her own home. In the 11 years I have served as
Sheriff there has been only one homicide outside the Town of Easton. It was an
execution-style murder of a woman in her driveway, The suspect, who was an illegal
alien (residing in Northern Virginia) and was connected to a notorious Mexican Drug
Cartel, fled to Mexico after the murder. It took nearly two years to extradite him from
Mexico to he tried in Talbot County. Once he completes his sentence, if this law passes.
he too will be released back into our community instead of being deported!
If this legislation were enacted in its current form, these individuals will be released back
into our communities once they finish serving their sentences.
Talbot County and other counties in Maryland are lucky to have these law enforcement officers on their side. Other Sheriffs voicing opposition to this law:
-Jeff Gahler- Harford County- “They've done politics with public safety and that's shameful. I believe it to be a violation of their oath of office.”-wbal.com
Jim Dewees - Carroll County -“No politician is going to tell me that I can't communicate with another law enforcement agency.”-wbal.com
Mike Lewis - Wicomico County; “The 287(g) ban is 'the biggest betrayal to law enforcement I have ever seen." from wbal.com
Other County Sheriffs from Alleghany County, Cecil County, Garrett County, and St. Mary's County have pledged to keep working with ICE in the ways that they can. Here is a story from FOX News:
Sheriffs plot ICE 'workarounds' after new Maryland law bans police cooperation | Fox News
Many of us wrote to our lawmakers asking them not to pass this bill. Of course, that has little or no impact.
In the end, the people of Maryland will pay the price for this bill which could be our lives or the lives of our loved ones.
