Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott signed an executive order that he says will protect the rights and safety of the city’s immigrant communities. It also clarifies how local officials will respond to federal immigration enforcement.

The move comes as Democratic-led cities across the country brace for a potential surge in federal immigration enforcement. President Donald Trump has long criticized Baltimore.

The Baltimore order bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from using city owned property for staging or processing operations without a judicial warrant. To date, no such actions have occurred, according to the mayor.

Scott said the measure is meant to prepare the city in case federal immigration enforcement expands, citing actions taken in other parts of the country.

“Overall, this is about readiness and clarity. We've been working and evaluating these decisions on a daily basis for months now. When we were vetted and ready, we took action,” he said during a Thursday appearance on Midday.

The order also directs Baltimore police not to participate in federal immigration enforcement, meaning officers cannot assist or interfere with those operations.

It also allows city attorneys to volunteer their personal time to represent residents involved in immigration cases on a pro bono basis.

Scott warned that the city would challenge any federal actions it believes violate constitutional protections in court.

In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson criticized the move. She said attacks on federal immigration officers are rising and accused Democratic officials of spreading misinformation about immigration enforcement.

“ICE officers are facing a 1300% increase in assaults because of dangerous, untrue smears by elected Democrats. Recently, an officer had his finger bitten off by a radical left-wing rioter. ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law and protect American communities — local officials should work with them, not against them. Anyone doing otherwise is simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens,” Jackson said.

However, publicly available data has not substantiated the scale of the increase cited by the White House.

Advocacy group CASA and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.