Maryland Green Party Gubernatorial Campaign Calls for Abolishing ICE, Pressures State Leaders

By MDBayNews Staff

A long-fringe idea in national politics is moving closer to the mainstream — and now into Maryland’s 2026 gubernatorial race.

This week, the Ellis-Andrews campaign formally endorsed a call to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), becoming the first gubernatorial ticket in Maryland to take that position. The announcement aligns the campaign with the youth caucus of the Green Party and sharply escalates rhetoric around immigration enforcement, public safety, and constitutional authority.

The campaign is led by Andy Ellis, a Green Party candidate for governor, and Owen Silverman Andrews, running for lieutenant governor.

From “Reform” to “Abolition”

Ellis framed the call as a response to what he described as a pattern of unconstitutional behavior by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The campaign cited a December 2025 shooting in Glen Burnie involving ICE agents — an incident later contradicted by Anne Arundel County Police — as well as a separate fatal shooting in Minnesota earlier this year.

According to the campaign, ICE arrests in Maryland increased sharply in 2025, with a majority involving individuals with no criminal convictions. Ellis argues that this represents “mass targeting” rather than targeted law enforcement.

Polling cited by the campaign shows support for abolishing ICE rising nationally, including majority support among Democrats. Still, abolishing a federal law enforcement agency remains a radical step, even within progressive circles — and one that would require congressional action, not state legislation.

A Shot Across Annapolis’ Bow

The announcement was also aimed squarely at Maryland’s Democratic leadership.

Ellis criticized Senate President Bill Ferguson, accusing him of previously protecting federal-local cooperation agreements known as 287(g), which allow local law enforcement to assist ICE. The campaign argues that Democratic leaders now opposing those agreements are attempting to claim credit for a shift they delayed.

The campaign also pressed Governor Wes Moore to actively champion immigrant protection legislation rather than taking a wait-and-see approach. Attorney General Anthony Brown was urged to directly challenge ICE conduct in court, rather than focusing on funding disputes with the federal government.

From a center-right perspective, the message exposes a growing divide within Maryland politics: establishment Democrats attempting to strike a balance between federal law and local autonomy, and activists pushing for outright defiance — or dismantling — of federal authority.

Beyond Immigration Enforcement

The Ellis-Andrews campaign argues that ICE’s reach now extends beyond immigration, pointing to concerns raised by the Brennan Center for Justice about expanded surveillance and monitoring of political activists.

That framing is designed to broaden the issue beyond immigrant communities to civil liberties more generally — a strategy that may resonate with voters wary of federal power, but uncomfortable with the consequences of abolishing enforcement altogether.

Critics note that while constitutional limits on federal agencies deserve scrutiny, abolition raises serious questions about border control, visa enforcement, and public safety — questions the campaign largely sidesteps by calling for “humane policy” without detailing enforcement alternatives.

A Political Signal, Not a Legislative Plan

The campaign outlined four demands, including federal abolition of ICE, accelerated state-level protections, executive backing from the governor, and aggressive litigation by the attorney general. It also called on local police departments to refuse cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and to intervene when federal agents act unlawfully.

For now, the proposal functions more as a political signal than a governing roadmap.

Still, Ellis made clear the electoral goal: forcing the issue into public debate. “When a large percentage of Americans support abolishing ICE,” he said, “that position deserves representation on the debate stage.”

Whether Maryland voters agree — or see the call as another example of ideological overreach in an already deep-blue state — remains to be seen. What is clear is that immigration enforcement, once treated as a federal given, is becoming a front-line issue in Maryland’s 2026 gubernatorial race.