For Immediate Release: January 10, 2025
CASA leading fight for immigrant justice, housing reform, and climate justice
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Heading into the 2025 Maryland Legislative session, CASA is mobilizing to confront the challenges posed to Black and brown immigrants and working families going into a second Trump presidency. In preparing for continued anti-immigrant rhetoric and racist policies, CASA is leading campaigns for legislation that will center the dignity, safety, and well-being of all Marylanders, regardless of their background. The package includes several immigrant protection bills and legislation to keep renters in their homes and ensure that air is safe to breathe.
Executive Director Gustavo Torres said, “At CASA, our power is rooted in the dreams, beliefs, faith, and courage of our members, who are people who have faced incredible challenges and unspeakable circumstances to raise their families in a system where while survival is difficult, it is possible. While Trump has threatened mass deportations and to shut down places that are friendly to our friends and neighbors, we are ready to fight back. What makes this moment powerful is that we are not alone. Hundreds of legislators, faith leaders, labor leaders and allies are stepping up to join this fight for justice. Together we will raise our collective voices in solidarity against policies that create hate, division, and injustice.”
CASA’s 2025 legislative agenda centers the rights and humanity of Maryland’s immigrant community with a group of bills aimed at minimizing the harmful effects of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. Key priorities include legislation to prevent federal agencies from exploiting Maryland’s data to target residents and stopping Maryland’s voluntary and unfunded partnerships with ICE. Limiting ICE access to essential spaces such as schools, churches, hospitals and courthouses is a priority as well — ensuring these locations remain safe havens for Marylanders to seek education, healthcare, and justice without fear.
CASA, a member of the Renters United Maryland (RUM) coalition, will continue to push for the passage of the “Good Cause Act” which prevents people from being evicted without a good reason. Keeping individuals and families in their homes makes Maryland communities safer and stronger.
The Cumulative Harm to Environmental Restoration for Improved Shared Health, also known as the CHERISH Act, will also be a priority of CASA. This bill will target the disproportionate pollution burden faced by Black and brown working communities by creating stricter permitting requirements.
CASA’s Policy Director Cathryn Paul underscored the urgency of the 2025 agenda, focusing on the importance of acting boldly in the face of federal threats. “Trump’s playbook is clear — mass deportations, separating families, and dismantling protections for tenants and workers. Our priorities send a clear message: Maryland will not be complicit in these injustices. We will not let Marylanders become a pawn in his dangerous game.”
“As an undocumented African immigrant, and a proud CASA member, I carry the weight of struggles too many in our communities know—struggles for housing, dignity, and the right to exist without fear. These battles are not abstract; they are personal. They define our families, our futures, and our fight for justice,” said CASA member Fidelis from Cameroon. “With a Trump administration intent on advancing an anti-immigrant agenda, Maryland must rise to meet this moment. Maryland must pass policies that honor fairness and humanity: stop partnerships with ICE by ending 287g agreements and protect schools and hospitals as sanctuaries. Housing protections like Good Cause will ensure stability, while the CHERISH Act will shield Black and brown neighborhoods from environmental harm. This is about justice, keeping families together, and building a Maryland where everyone can live and thrive without fear.”
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With over 173,000 lifetime members across 46 US states, CASA is a national powerhouse organization building power and improving the quality of life in working-class: Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities. CASA creates change with its powerbuilding model blending human services, community organizing, and advocacy in order to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of members. www.wearecasa.org