Maryland House and Senate pass bills banning ICE cooperation deals

BALTIMORE — In separate party-line votes Tuesday, the Maryland House and Senate passed legislation to end local law enforcement cooperation agreements with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, fast-tracking two identical bills that have ignited heated debate across party lines over immigration policy and public safety.

In the Senate, 32 Democrats voted for the bill, and 12 Republicans voted against it. In the House, the measure passed 99-40, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.

The legislation would prohibit new and existing 287(g) agreements, which allow local police and correctional officers to assist ICE with immigration enforcement duties.

The votes came just days after committees in both chambers advanced the bills following hours of partisan debate and a flurry of Republican amendments aimed at carving out exceptions to the proposed ban. None of the amendments secured the three-fifths majority required under Maryland law and were rejected.

—The Baltimore Sun

Twin Cities Catholic schools hold steady with student enrollment

MINNEAPOLIS — Twin Cities area families continue to show faith in their Catholic schools. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis reported last week that 19,663 students were attending the 80 Twin Cities area Catholic schools serving kindergarten through eighth grade.

That’s virtually the same number as in 2021-22 when families flocked to private schools due in part to COVID-19 restrictions enacted at their public school counterparts.

The Oct. 1 student count was down 1.6% from a recent peak of 19,975 in 2023-24. But demand in Catholic school options remains high, as shown by growing interest in scholarships offered by the Aim Higher Foundation, a St. Paul nonprofit.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s no secret that there are growing financial pressures,” Ricky Austin, the group’s president, said of the challenges now facing families. “They look at their checking accounts and say, ‘How do I make this work?’” Enrollment in Minnesota has grown at a time when Catholic schools nationwide have been on the decline.

—The Minnesota Star Tribune

Kentucky nursing home residents could get ‘granny cams’ to watch for abuse under bill

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky legislator has proposed a so-called “granny cam” law to allow nursing home residents to position video cameras in their rooms that could catch incidents of elder abuse.

House Bill 491, filed by state Rep. DJ Johnson, R-Owensboro, would require nursing homes to allow residents and their families or other legal guardians to install video- and audio-recording equipment in the residents’ rooms.

The recording equipment would not be hidden; in fact, a sign at the room’s entrance would announce its presence. For shared rooms, the resident’s roommate would have to agree to the surveillance, although the equipment would be pointed away from the roommate.

Nursing home advocates say the cameras, already authorized in at least 20 states, could be an invaluable tool in protecting some of Kentucky’s most vulnerable citizens, by offering proof when they’re mistreated.

—Lexington Herald-Leader

NATO to launch operation in attempt to de-escalate Greenland dispute

BRUSSELS — NATO plans to contribute to the further de-escalation of the conflict within the alliance over Greenland with a new Arctic operation.

"The activity will even further strengthen NATO's posture in the Arctic and High North," Colonel Martin L O'Donnell from NATO's military headquarters in the Belgian city of Mons told dpa on Tuesday.

The start of the operation could be announced as early as the end of this week or during the course of the coming week, dpa has learned. The reason is that a so-called "enhanced vigilance activity" can be initiated by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus G. Grynkewich, even without a formal decision by the NATO allies.

A spokesman did not want to comment on the possible start date and details for the time being. Additional patrols with ships and aircraft as well as exercises to increase NATO's presence are primarily planned, alliance sources told dpa.

—dpa