Frederick County voters oust Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, Maryland's longtime ICE partner

After 20 years, voters in Frederick County, Maryland, have replaced their sheriff. Democrat Karl Bickel defeated Republican Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who was running for a sixth term, by 56% to 44% in Tuesday's election ¹. Local reports put Bickel's lead at about 10,000 votes ². The county will have a new sheriff for the first time in two decades ³.

Jenkins, 70, was one of the country's best-known local allies of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He has boasted that he helped deport 2,000 people ¹. Bickel, 76, used to work in the sheriff's office. He has promised not to work with ICE and says his deputies will keep watch on what ICE does in the county ¹.

What the sheriff's ICE deal did

The race turned on a federal program called 287(g), named for a section of immigration law. It lets ICE deputize local officers. Under the program, local jail officers could serve ICE's administrative warrants and hold people who are not citizens until ICE picked them up ⁵. Frederick joined in 2008, and its agreement was the oldest of its kind in the country ⁶.

Frederick used the 'jailhouse' version of the program. Officers asked about immigration status when people were booked into jail after an arrest ⁶. ICE could ask the jail to hold someone up to 48 hours past their release date ⁸. ACLU figures cited by The Baltimore Banner show that most 287(g) deportation cases in Maryland started with misdemeanors or driving charges such as drunken driving ⁸.

From Channel GOPJenkins: He lives on an island. I delivered groceriesJennifer Jenkins · 124 plays · captioned, with the source named

Jenkins made the program part of who he was as sheriff. Bolts reported that during Trump's first presidential campaign, he made this vow ¹:

As long as I am sheriff of Frederick County, we are going to work with ICE.

State lawmakers ended the program before voters did. On February 17, 2026, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed emergency bills, House Bill 444 and Senate Bill 245. They banned 287(g) agreements and ordered the nine counties that had them to end them right away ⁵. Jenkins said Frederick's 287(g) work stopped as soon as the bills were signed ⁶.

We will not allow untrained, unqualified and unaccountable agents to deputize our brave local law enforcement officers

Jenkins pushed back. He said he was working with outside groups to find a way to challenge the ban in court ⁶. He also warned that ICE would now pursue people outside the jail. "If they can't get our cooperation in the jail, they're going to find those individuals outside of the jail," he told WYPR ⁶.

In May, Jenkins and 16 other sheriffs, 17 of the state's 24, joined a federal lawsuit filed in Greenbelt, Maryland. The suit challenges the Community Trust Act, a second state law that limits how local agencies cooperate with ICE ⁷. The law's author, Democratic state Sen. Clarence Lam, called the suit "a political stunt on the part of some of the locally elected sheriffs" ⁷.

Why voters changed course

Jenkins had won election after election, even as the county became more Democratic. He had beaten Bickel three times before ³. In his last election victory, his margin was fewer than 3,000 votes out of more than 105,000 cast ⁸. The county has nearly 300,000 residents, and about 1 in 10 of them are Hispanic ⁸.

This year, the race came during an anti-Trump wave and growing frustration with Jenkins, The Baltimore Banner reported ³. Democrats won almost every countywide office, and Democratic County Executive Jessica Fitzwater won a second term with 55.3% of the vote ⁴.

Jenkins also carried legal baggage. He was indicted in 2023 on federal charges that he helped a gun dealer illegally get machine guns. The case was dropped in November 2024, and Jenkins said the prosecution was politically motivated ³.

Bickel argued that courts, not ICE, should have the main say in immigration enforcement ². He also questioned how ICE agents behave, saying the agency's use of force and "chemical agents" would not be tolerated from local deputies ¹.

A lot of what ICE is doing, if a deputy did it they'd be fired or arrested

Kris Fair, a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates from Frederick County, said of Jenkins, "He wasn't trying to work with the community" ².

The fear doesn't end on election night

Immigrants who spoke to Bolts described living in fear. Some said they had kept their children home from school, and some had family members deported ¹. Frederick City Council President César Díaz called Jenkins's defeat "a repudiation of evil" ¹. He also warned that the threat goes beyond one sheriff.

The community is under attack from more than just Chuck Jenkins

Frederick was not the only place where voters turned on a hard-line sheriff. In Alamance County, North Carolina, Republican Sheriff Terry Johnson lost his bid for a seventh term by a narrow margin to Democratic pastor Shannon Long ¹.

The pattern matters because sheriffs are elected locally and run the county jails. That is where much of the cooperation with ICE happens. When the ban passed in February, Democratic state Sen. Will Smith said local control means "local scrutiny" ⁵. On Tuesday, Frederick County voters used it.

The Record

1. Feb 17, 2026Gov. Wes Moore signs emergency bills banning 287(g) agreements in nine Maryland jurisdictions ⁵
2. Feb 18, 2026Jenkins says Frederick's 287(g) work has stopped and he is exploring a court challenge ⁶
3. May 27, 2026Fox 5 reports that 17 of Maryland's 24 sheriffs, including Jenkins, are suing over the Community Trust Act ⁷
4. Nov 3, 2026Democrat Karl Bickel defeats Jenkins 56% to 44% ¹

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Frederick County voters oust Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, Maryland&#39;s longtime ICE partner</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/frederick-county-voters-oust-sheriff-chuck-jenkins-maryland-s-longtime-ice-partner">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>After 20 years, voters in Frederick County, Maryland, have replaced their sheriff. Democrat Karl Bickel defeated Republican Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who was running for a sixth term, by 56% to 44% in Tuesday&#39;s election . Local reports put Bickel&#39;s lead at about 10,000 votes . The county will have a new sheriff for the first time in two decades .</p> <p>Jenkins, 70, was one of the country&#39;s best-known local allies of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He has boasted that he helped deport 2,000 people . Bickel, 76, used to work in the sheriff&#39;s office. He has promised not to work with ICE and says his deputies will keep watch on what ICE does in the county .</p> <h2>What the sheriff&#39;s ICE deal did</h2> <p>The race turned on a federal program called 287(g), named for a section of immigration law. It lets ICE deputize local officers. Under the program, local jail officers could serve ICE&#39;s administrative warrants and hold people who are not citizens until ICE picked them up . Frederick joined in 2008, and its agreement was the oldest of its kind in the country .</p> <p>Frederick used the &#39;jailhouse&#39; version of the program. Officers asked about immigration status when people were booked into jail after an arrest . ICE could ask the jail to hold someone up to 48 hours past their release date . ACLU figures cited by The Baltimore Banner show that most 287(g) deportation cases in Maryland started with misdemeanors or driving charges such as drunken driving .</p> <p>Jenkins made the program part of who he was as sheriff. Bolts reported that during Trump&#39;s first presidential campaign, he made this vow :</p> <blockquote><p>As long as I am sheriff of Frederick County, we are going to work with ICE.</p><p>&mdash; Chuck Jenkins, Frederick County sheriff, Republican-Maryland</p></blockquote> <p>State lawmakers ended the program before voters did. On February 17, 2026, Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed emergency bills, House Bill 444 and Senate Bill 245. They banned 287(g) agreements and ordered the nine counties that had them to end them right away . Jenkins said Frederick&#39;s 287(g) work stopped as soon as the bills were signed .</p> <blockquote><p>We will not allow untrained, unqualified and unaccountable agents to deputize our brave local law enforcement officers</p><p>&mdash; Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p>Jenkins pushed back. He said he was working with outside groups to find a way to challenge the ban in court . He also warned that ICE would now pursue people outside the jail. &quot;If they can&#39;t get our cooperation in the jail, they&#39;re going to find those individuals outside of the jail,&quot; he told WYPR .</p> <p>In May, Jenkins and 16 other sheriffs, 17 of the state&#39;s 24, joined a federal lawsuit filed in Greenbelt, Maryland. The suit challenges the Community Trust Act, a second state law that limits how local agencies cooperate with ICE . The law&#39;s author, Democratic state Sen. Clarence Lam, called the suit &quot;a political stunt on the part of some of the locally elected sheriffs&quot; .</p> <h2>Why voters changed course</h2> <p>Jenkins had won election after election, even as the county became more Democratic. He had beaten Bickel three times before . In his last election victory, his margin was fewer than 3,000 votes out of more than 105,000 cast . The county has nearly 300,000 residents, and about 1 in 10 of them are Hispanic .</p> <p>This year, the race came during an anti-Trump wave and growing frustration with Jenkins, The Baltimore Banner reported . Democrats won almost every countywide office, and Democratic County Executive Jessica Fitzwater won a second term with 55.3% of the vote .</p> <p>Jenkins also carried legal baggage. He was indicted in 2023 on federal charges that he helped a gun dealer illegally get machine guns. The case was dropped in November 2024, and Jenkins said the prosecution was politically motivated .</p> <p>Bickel argued that courts, not ICE, should have the main say in immigration enforcement . He also questioned how ICE agents behave, saying the agency&#39;s use of force and &quot;chemical agents&quot; would not be tolerated from local deputies .</p> <blockquote><p>A lot of what ICE is doing, if a deputy did it they&#39;d be fired or arrested</p><p>&mdash; Karl Bickel, Frederick County sheriff-elect, Democrat-Maryland</p></blockquote> <p>Kris Fair, a Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates from Frederick County, said of Jenkins, &quot;He wasn&#39;t trying to work with the community&quot; .</p> <h2>The fear doesn&#39;t end on election night</h2> <p>Immigrants who spoke to Bolts described living in fear. Some said they had kept their children home from school, and some had family members deported . Frederick City Council President César Díaz called Jenkins&#39;s defeat &quot;a repudiation of evil&quot; . He also warned that the threat goes beyond one sheriff.</p> <blockquote><p>The community is under attack from more than just Chuck Jenkins</p><p>&mdash; César Díaz, Frederick City Council president, Maryland</p></blockquote> <p>Frederick was not the only place where voters turned on a hard-line sheriff. In Alamance County, North Carolina, Republican Sheriff Terry Johnson lost his bid for a seventh term by a narrow margin to Democratic pastor Shannon Long .</p> <p>The pattern matters because sheriffs are elected locally and run the county jails. That is where much of the cooperation with ICE happens. When the ban passed in February, Democratic state Sen. Will Smith said local control means &quot;local scrutiny&quot; . On Tuesday, Frederick County voters used it.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/frederick-county-voters-oust-sheriff-chuck-jenkins-maryland-s-longtime-ice-partner">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/frederick-county-voters-oust-sheriff-chuck-jenkins-maryland-s-longtime-ice-partner.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. Bolts, “Voters Oust Notorious Pro-ICE Sheriff in Maryland” (2026-11-04). boltsmag.org/voters-oust-notorious-pro-ice-sheriff-in-maryla
2. DC News Now (via Yahoo News), “Frederick County voters turn out Sheriff Chuck Jenkins in Tuesday election” (2026-11-04). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/frederick-county-voters-tur
3. The Baltimore Banner, “Frederick County sheriff: Karl Bickel beats Chuck Jenkins” (2026-11-04). thebanner.com/politics-power/frederick-county-chuck-jenkins-
4. WYPR, “Frederick County executive Jessica Fitzwater wins second term” (2026-11-04). wypr.org/wypr-news/2026-11-04/frederick-county-executive-jes
5. WYPR, “Maryland bans partnerships between local law enforcement and ICE” (2026-02-17). wypr.org/wypr-news/2026-02-17/maryland-bans-partnerships-bet
6. WYPR, “Frederick County sheriff looks at legal action following ban on ICE partnerships in Maryland” (2026-02-18). wypr.org/wypr-news/2026-02-18/frederick-county-sheriff-looks
7. Fox 5 DC, “Maryland sheriffs sue over law limiting cooperation with ICE” (2026-05-27). fox5dc.com/news/maryland-sheriffs-sue-over-law-limiting-coop
8. The Baltimore Banner, “Are these the last days for Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins?” (2025-04-11). thebanner.com/politics-power/local-government/frederick-sher

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.