ANNAPOLIS, MD - When it comes to progressive cesspools on the East Coast, the tiny state of Maryland is vying to be number one when it comes to people fleeing the state to head to more sane jurisdictions. One of those people is Carroll County State's Attorney Haven Shoemaker, who told Fox News Digital that he is “sick to death” of the policies coming out of the state Capitol building. He is primarily disheartened by the state’s “sanctuary” policies and high taxes, which he said are being used to support illegal aliens.
“Maryland has become California on the Chesapeake,” said Shoemaker. “It only gets worse. It’s not getting better. And at some point, I just had to make a personal decision that it’s time to throw in the towel and head for what I believe are greener pastures.” He said the state is suffering from an “insane” and “ultra-progressive” takeover.
Shoemaker is not alone and said he sees state residents giving up on the state “all the time.”
“The State of Maryland has one of the worst outward migration numbers of any state in the country right now,” he said. “So, I don’t know who’s going to be the last to foot the bill for the profligate spending that Annapolis likes to engage in, but it’s not going to be me, I can tell you that.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), who fancies himself a 2028 presidential contender, but received no response. They also reached out to Maryland House Speaker Joseline A. Pena-Melnyk and Senate President Bill Ferguson for comment, but received none.
Shoemaker has spent 30 years in local and state politics and became Carroll County’s top prosecutor in 2023. He served for seven years as mayor of Hampstead, four years as a Carroll County commissioner, and nine years in the Maryland House of Delegates. He served as House Minority Whip in the Maryland Republican Party.
Shoemaker’s long history of public service has apparently come to a disappointing end, as he has decided to abandon Maryland after many years of consideration.
“I’ve been contemplating this move for a while, but the linchpin for me was this most recent legislative session where they essentially made Maryland a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants,” he told Fox News Digital.
Among measures implemented in the state was an emergency measure passed by the General Assembly that bans local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) via the 287(g) program. Moore signed the bill into law.
Moore claimed that law enforcement would continue cooperating with ICE on deporting illegal aliens who “pose a risk to public safety,” however, he qualified his remarks by saying, “We will not allow untrained, unqualified, and unaccountable agents to deputize our brave local law enforcement officers,” WYPR reported.
While signing the legislation, Moore claimed that “Maryland is a community of immigrants,” saying it “is not our weakness, it’s our strength.”
Shoemaker said the state’s sanctuary policies are “just part of the problem.”
“In addition to that, their tax policy here is horrendous,” he said, noting that state leaders raised taxes on Maryland residents last year by $1.6 billion.
The tax increase was passed by the State Assembly and signed by Moore as part of a $67 billion state budget in 2025, with the hope of helping to mitigate a roughly $3.3 billion budget deficit. Despite ranking 18th in population and 42nd in land size, the state’s budget is rather large.
Shoemaker said the state is “already looking at a structural deficit going into next year’s budget of another billion and a half or so,” noting that the “handwriting is on the wall” that “Maryland politicians are beholden to their ultra-progressive base.”
Shoemaker said he is leaving Maryland behind and heading for North Carolina.
“A lot of taxpayers from across the State of Maryland are fleeing in droves,” he said, adding a warning to Moore and other state leaders.
“If you want to staunch the bleeding that’s occurring, maybe you should rethink your policies.”
Perhaps Moore can ask Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and Kathy Hochul (D-NY) about the flight occurring from their states.
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