Immigrants, Legislators, and Community Leaders Testify in House Judiciary Committee

ANNAPOLIS, MD – This legislative session, hundreds of CASA members, allies, and community leaders packed the Maryland House Judiciary Committee and Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to testify in support the three immigrant protection bills, the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (HB1006/SB828), Maryland Data Privacy Act (SB977/HB1431), and the Maryland Values Act (HB1222). These three bills comprise CASA’s immigration agenda focused on enacting state protections to safeguard our community. Passing these bills will protect the rights to privacy, safety, and security not just for immigrants but for all Maryland residents. 

Sponsored by the Chair of the Prince George’s Delegation, Del. Nicole A. Williams (D22), the Maryland Values Act (HB1222) terminates voluntary 287(g) agreements, which allow local police officers to be deputized as ICE agents. These agreements have repeatedly enabled racist sheriffs to racially profile and target immigrant communities. Ending these agreements currently entered into in Frederick, Harford, Cecil, Carroll, and Garrett counties is essential for building public trust between law enforcement and communities of color.

The Protecting Sensitive Locations Act (HB1006/SB828) is sponsored in the House by the Chair of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, Del. Jheanelle K. Wilkins (D20), who is also an immigrant from Jamaica, and co-led by the House Chair of the Maryland Legislative Jewish Caucus, Delegate Jared Solomon (D18). The bill is sponsored in the Senate by the Chair of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, Sen. William Smith (D20). This bill would establish clear guidelines limiting ICE access to sensitive locations in Maryland. This includes schools, courthouses, medical facilities, places of worship, and other spaces where Maryland residents receive vital services and resources. 

Sponsored by Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D20) and Sen. Clarence Lam (D12), the Maryland Data Privacy Act (SB977/HB1431) stops ICE from having access to state and local agency data without a warrant. Immigrant families should be able to access critical government services without worrying that their information will be shared with federal immigration authorities without a warrant. In 2021, Maryland’s legislature took a bold and necessary step by passing the Driver Privacy Act, which restricted ICE’s ability to access Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) data without a warrant. That bill successfully set a precedent by limiting ICE’s ability to exploit Maryland’s systems, but it did not go far enough. ICE continues to have the ability to access other state agency data openly without a warrant.

Throughout the hearings, legislators heard testimony from directly impacted community members, family, friends, and allies. 

Michelle, a CASA member and Montgomery County senior in high school, testified in support of the Sensitive Locations Act. She discussed the frustration and sadness of not being able to enjoy her last year of high school. She said, “I am here today because instead of focusing on graduating high school, getting good grades, college applications, and prom, I have to worry about whether people in my family and community may be torn apart by ICE.” 

Remarks from CASA member, Jose H. were provided by CASA member Julia Fernandez in his absence. His testimony was in support of the Maryland Privacy Act. “On February 20, 2020, early in the morning, ICE agents stormed my home. In front of my three children—still in their pajamas—they handcuffed me and dragged me away. My kids watched their father being taken from them… As I stood there in handcuffs, one of the agents casually admitted how they found me: they used Maryland’s MVA database. I trusted the government when I got my driver’s license. I believed my information was safe. But that morning, I learned the truth: ICE was using my private information to tear my family apart.” It was this incident that led to the passage of the Driver Privacy Act in 2021.

CASA member Amos testified in support of the Maryland Values Act. He told the committee, “As an immigrant from Cameroon, I escaped violence and persecution, hoping to find safety here. But for Black and African immigrants like me, that fear doesn’t end at the border. It continues in the form of racial profiling and immigration enforcement that targets us unfairly. This is not just an immigration issue. This is a moral issue. No one should live in fear because of the color of their skin or the country they were born in.” 

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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