Immigration Action Team
We invite you to help make Howard County a safe and supportive environment for immigrants. We are working to protect the civil liberties of all Howard County residents and fight the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies. Take the first step by joining Indivisible; then attend Action Team monthly meetings (typically held on Zoom) and get involved in subgroups focused on particular goals.
Examples of Our Achievements
- Passage of the Liberty Act, which prohibits Howard County employees from collecting or sharing immigration status information
- Interfaith Vigil for Immigrants, Refugees and Asylees, which attracted 400 attendees
- Distribution of over 7,000 Know Your Rights cards and information packets to immigrants (ongoing project).
Some Current Goals
- Passing immigrant-friendly legislation in Maryland, including a statewide ban on 287g ICE collaboration (see info on 287g from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center)
- Cancelling the BWI contract with Avelo, the only passenger airline to contract with ICE
- Informing county businesses and their employees of their rights in case of ICE visits, and best practices to prepare
We are involved in other activities as well and appreciate input from our membership.
A Few Ways You Can Help Right Now
- Tell Governor Wes Moore; Speaker of the House, Adrienne Jones; President of the Senate, Bill Ferguson, and your local state representatives (locate here) that we need a statewide ban on 287g agreements, which waste taxpayer money and lead immigrant communities to fear local law enforcement.
- Join ACLU and Casa lobbying efforts in Annapolis
- Join protests against Avelo (see the Ground Avelo site)
- Distribute Know Your Rights (KYR) cards to immigrants and ally organizations.
- Aid immigrant support organizations such as the following local groups:
- Howard County
- Luminus legal support. Donate or even hold a house party!
- Columbia Community Care. Food for immigrant and other families in need, youth and community support.
- Howard County
- Maryland: Casa immigrant advocacy and support
- Educate your networks about the important economic and social contributions of immigrants in Maryland. See the Comptroller of Maryland’s Report on Immigration and the Economy.
Thank you! We look forward to hearing from you and taking action together.