A federal judge last week dismissed Maryland’s lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the refusal to provide records related to detention conditions at a Baltimore processing facility. The suit, filed by Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown in March, aimed to obtain information concerning holding areas within the George H. Fallon Federal Building, alleging that detainees were subjected to inhumane treatment.
U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin ruled on Thursday that the subpoena issued by Maryland’s Office of the Attorney General exceeded the legal authority granted under the state code cited in the complaint. In her decision, Rubin stated there was no “actual harm” and that the state office had no enforceable right to the requested information.
Government attorneys argued in court that the subpoena was overly broad and posed an excessive burden. They also cited privacy concerns regarding some of the documents sought. Following the ruling, a spokeswoman for Brown’s office said they were reviewing the judge’s opinion.
A DHS spokesperson, responding via email, described the lawsuit as “frivolous” and welcomed its dismissal. The spokesperson emphasized that the ICE Baltimore field office serves as a processing site rather than a detention center, with individuals quickly transferred to permanent detention facilities. The statement rejected claims of poor conditions and overcrowding, noting that detainees are provided with food, water, blankets, hygiene supplies, and access to phones in their holding rooms for calls to family members and legal representatives.
Concerns about conditions at the facility first gained wider attention in January after a video circulated showing detainees crowded on the floor beneath blankets. The footage drew sharp criticism from Maryland officials and members of the state's congressional delegation, prompting unannounced visits and renewed scrutiny. Reports by Brown’s office described the holding rooms as cold, unsanitary, overcrowded, and lacking adequate food and medical attention.
Brown has maintained that monitoring of the Baltimore holding areas, which were not designed for long-term confinement, has been ongoing since mid-2025, and that conditions have worsened over time. A related class-action lawsuit brought by immigrant rights groups on behalf of detainees alleges that rooms measuring approximately 15 feet by 15 feet have at times confined 40 to 50 people, forcing many to sleep sitting up without bedding and in extremely cold temperatures.
Judge Rubin, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, is also overseeing that case. In a March ruling, she found that ICE frequently exceeded the official capacity limits for the holding rooms, at times detaining over 120 individuals, more than double the stated maximum of 56. The judge noted that detainees remained in the facility for periods exceeding three days, during which they often lacked access to bathing facilities and were exposed to unsanitary conditions affecting cells and toilets. Rubin described these circumstances as constituting a “sufficiently serious deprivation.”