BALTIMORE — Exactly one month before Donald Trump is scheduled to retake the White House, Maryland leaders are taking a cautious approach toward his signature call to deport people who are in the country illegally.

In Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott — the city’s first mayor to win reelection in two decades — has touted his role in reducing violent crime rates across all categories. While such a priority would seemingly align the mayor with the “tough on crime” president-elect, Scott has expressed concern over federal agents interfering with Baltimore Police in any widespread Trump-led deportation operation.

“We would hope that this administration, who says they want to come down and make sure that violence is going down in cities, doesn’t come disrupt the apple cart when violence is going down in the city to a level it has never had before,” Scott told The Baltimore Sun in late November.

Scott’s office did not immediately respond Friday to a request to comment on how the mayor believes a federal immigration presence in Baltimore would increase or maintain the city’s current crime rates.

The Scott administration’s course seems to chart a middle ground between those of larger regional cities such as New York and Philadelphia, where officials’ rhetoric toward potential deportations has greatly varied.

In the Big Apple, Democratic Mayor Eric Adams — who is facing corruption and bribery charges — has indicated a willingness to work with Trump “border czar” Tom Homan to scale back laws limiting the city’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

“My legal team is going to sit down with [Homan’s] legal team to make the determination if an executive order can change that,” Adams said Wednesday during a Fox News appearance.

In Philadelphia, leaders like City Councilwoman Rue Landau have emphasized their city’s status as a sanctuary. Philly became a sanctuary city in 2016 and is home to about 47,000 illegal immigrants, according to Migration Policy statistics.

“Sanctuary is a word that holds more weight now than it has ever,” Landau said at a Dec. 10 rally calling on Mayor Cherelle Parker to take a stronger stand against Trump’s proposed immigration policies.

How will Gov. Wes Moore handle Trump’s deportation plans?

In an emailed statement, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, called on federal leaders to “set aside politics” while vowing to “wait to see” what Trump does before taking any action designed to “protect” Marylanders.

Moore’s statement did not explicitly distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, as he instead referred broadly to “immigrant communities.”

“There is currently a lot of speculation going around about how the new federal administration plans to address immigration policy. As Governor, I have an obligation to protect Marylanders, including members of our immigrant communities,” said Moore. “We have issued clear guidance on the four values driving our work during this transition from one administration to the next: We will deliver for Marylanders, we will defend our constitutional rights, we will grow our economy, and we will restore faith in our public servants, our institutions, and our democracy. And as policy evolves, we will weigh our actions against these values.”

In 2021, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation largely along party lines to prohibit counties from entering into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain immigrants on its behalf. Another law was enacted the same year requiring state employees to deny the inspection of files containing photos or personal information for immigration enforcement purposes unless the requester has a valid warrant.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, vetoed both bills. His vetoes were overridden — again, along party lines — during a special legislative session in December 2021.

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