Ellis/Andrews Campaign Calls for ICE Abolition, Urges Maryland Action
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 20, 2026
CONTACT: Media Contact Andy Ellis info@gogreen2026.com
BALTIMORE — The Ellis-Andrews 2026 gubernatorial campaign announced today its endorsement of the position taken by the Young Ecosocialists (@GPUSyouth), the youth caucus of the Green Party of the United States, calling for the complete abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The announcement comes as national support for abolishing ICE has reached historic highs following an escalating pattern of ICE violence. On Christmas Eve 2025, ICE agents shot Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins in Glen Burnie, Maryland—then lied about what happened. Anne Arundel County Police clarified that ICE's account was false. Two weeks later, ICE agents in Minneapolis killed Renee Good.
"ICE has become an agency that operates outside constitutional limits," stated Andy Ellis, Green Party candidate for Governor of Maryland. "Systematic violations of the Fourth, Fifth, First, and Tenth Amendments have been documented in federal court. In Maryland alone, ICE arrests increased 184 percent in 2025, 66 percent of those arrested having no criminal convictions. This is not law enforcement—this is mass targeting, attack and intimidation of working class Marylanders."
According to Economist/YouGov polling conducted January 9-12, support for abolishing ICE has reached a historic milestone: for the first time, more Americans support abolishing ICE (46 percent) than keeping it (43 percent). Support is up 18 points from January 2025. Among Democrats, 77percent now support abolition.
The Green Party of the United States adopted its Abolish ICE position in 2018—when the demand was considered radical. Eight years later, nearly half of Americans agree. The campaign noted that while Maryland's Democratic leaders have come around to oppose cooperation with ICE, Senate President Bill Ferguson cut a last-minute deal in 2025 to protect 287(g) agreements—the same agreements he now claims to oppose. “Banning those agreements and protecting spaces like churches, schools, hospitals, and judicial settings should have been easy in deep blue Maryland. Instead, we're still fighting for that baseline while ICE agents shoot unarmed people and label protesters as terrorists.” Ellis said, "Senator Ferguson protected these agreements last session. Now he wants credit for opposing them. If he's ready to lead, he needs to say the words: abolish ICE."
The Ellis-Andrews campaign stated it is the first gubernatorial campaign in Maryland to take that position. The candidates called for the legislature to pass these protections quickly and to recognize the threat has outgrown last year’s solutions.
Owen Silverman Andrews, candidate for Lieutenant Governor, emphasized the Maryland context. "ICE arrested over 3,300 people in Maryland in 2025. They arrested people at courthouses, at detention centers, in their communities—masked agents in unmarked vehicles. Maryland's Democratic leadership has offered limited resistance, but the Green Party is calling for what the moment requires: abolition and accountability."
The campaign also warned that ICE's threat extends beyond immigrant communities. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, ICE has expanded its surveillance capabilities to target political dissenters, and high ranking administration officials are labeling anti-ICE protesters as domestic terrorists. Ellis stated, "This isn't just about immigration. When the federal government deploys a militarized national police force, claims it has absolute immunity, and equips it with surveillance tools that can track anyone who criticizes its policies, every Marylander's rights are at stake."
The campaign outlined four policy demands:
First, the campaign drew on the Green Party of the United States platform and called on the federal government to abolish ICE and grant legal status with a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already residing and working in the United States, and their families. Abolition must be paired with humane policy, not simply reshuffling enforcement to another agency.
Second, the campaign acknowledged that the Maryland General Assembly is already advancing legislation to protect immigrant communities. The campaign called on House Speaker Joceline Peña-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson to prioritize these bills and move them to the Governor's desk quickly.
Third, the campaign called on Governor Wes Moore and all statewide elected officials to publicly support Maryland's immigrant protection legislation. The campaign stated that legislative action requires executive backing. Governor Moore should be championing these bills, not waiting to see which way the wind blows.
Fourth, the campaign called on Attorney General Anthony Brown to take a two-pronged approach: attack federal overreach in court and support local law enforcement that protects its residents. Brown has filed dozens of lawsuits against the Trump administration, but his immigration-related cases focus on protecting federal funding rather than challenging ICE conduct directly. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul have filed federal lawsuits challenging ICE's excessive force, warrantless arrests, and constitutional violations. Brown has not joined those cases, nor has he filed suit over the Glen Burnie shooting. At the same time, Brown should be publicly backing local police departments and sheriffs who refuse to participate in federal immigration enforcement, defending their authority to protect all residents in their jurisdiction.
The campaign also called on local police departments across Maryland to affirm "Three Principles" for law enforcement offered by former Madison, Wisconsin police chief David Couper:
Refuse to participate in federal immigration enforcement. Immigration is a civil matter. When local departments entangle themselves in it, trust collapses, crime reporting declines, and entire communities withdraw from civic life.
Intervene when federal agents violate the law. Duty-to-intervene standards do not disappear when the badge is federal. When unlawful force is used or detentions lack proper judicial authorization, local police retain both the authority and the obligation to act.
Protect every resident in their jurisdiction, regardless of immigration status. Constitutional protections apply to all persons, not just citizens. The oath of office contains no political exception.
Ellis noted the political stakes of the ICE abolition debate. "When a large percentage of Americans support abolishing ICE, that position deserves representation on the debate stage. Maryland voters should hear from a gubernatorial candidate who will say what the Democratic establishment won't."
About the Ellis/Andrews Campaign
Andy Ellis and Owen Silverman Andrews are seeking the Green Party nomination for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland in 2026. Their campaign focuses on grassroots democracy, economic justice, and environmental sustainability. The campaign is publicly financed through Maryland's Fair Election Fund. Learn more at gogreen2026.com.