At a time when Caribbean and other immigrants are under increasing attack by President Donald Trump, the San Diego, California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance over the weekend applauded Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for signing an executive order establishing the Maryland Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force.
Moore said the statewide initiative is aimed at protecting Caribbean and other immigrant communities from fraud, exploitation and discrimination. He said the task force will bring together state agencies, the Attorney General’s Office and other state leaders to coordinate efforts to safeguard Caribbean and other immigrants in Maryland.
“The executive order comes at a critical time as immigrant communities across the country face increasingly sophisticated scams and exploitation by individuals seeking to take advantage of vulnerable populations,” HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef told Caribbean Life. “In addition, this task force serves as a response to the Trump administration’s draconian and racist policies targeting and persecuting immigrants. The task force will operate for 12 months and focus on strengthening protections and accountability.
“Haitian Bridge Alliance commends Governor Moore for taking decisive action to protect immigrant families,” she added. “This executive order sends a powerful message that immigrants deserve dignity, safety, and equal protection under the law.
“Maryland is demonstrating what leadership looks like by proactively addressing the challenges facing immigrant communities and ensuring that bad actors are held accountable,” Jozef continued, adding that “HBA remains committed to working alongside policymakers, advocates, and community leaders to advance policies that protect the rights and well-being of immigrants throughout the United States.”
In signing the executive order creating the 12-month statewide task force on immigrant rights protection, Moore noted that immigrants comprise about 17% of Maryland’s population and nearly 22% of the state’s labor force.
“Despite significant contributions to the state’s economic, social, and cultural life, many immigrant Marylanders have long faced discrimination and substandard services in areas such as legal services, employment and housing,” he said. “More recently, immigrant communities have reported the emergence of new schemes targeting immigrants for exploitation and abuse, as unscrupulous actors seek to take advantage of immigrants’ fear of immigration enforcement.
“This predatory activity not only harms immigrants and their families, but it also distorts markets, impedes fair competition and diminishes the safety and security of all Marylanders,” the governor added. “Our immigrant communities contribute to the greatness of Maryland. I have made it clear that we will not stand by while bad actors prey on immigrants in our communities.
“In forming this task force, we are demonstrating the unity and strength of our state when we join together against injustice,” Moore said, noting that his executive order follows his call during his State of the State address earlier this year to better address fraud and exploitation of immigrant Marylanders.
Through the task force, the governor said state agencies will work with the Office of the Attorney General, the Comptroller’s Office and other partners to identify challenges facing immigrant Marylanders, particularly in legal services scams, workplace rights, housing, consumer and civil rights, and to implement strategies to strengthen outreach, education, enforcement and coordination.
Moore said the task force will be chaired by his Office of Immigrant Affairs. He said it will be the first of its kind at the state level and is “particularly timely in light of rising urgency in Maryland and nationally about new, increasingly sophisticated scams targeting immigrants by bad actors who believe that they can take advantage of or discriminate against immigrants with little to no risk.”
The governor said the order directs the Office of Immigrant Affairs, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Comptroller’s Office, to administer the task force and to engage stakeholders to assess barriers immigrant Marylanders face in enforcing their rights in the workplace, as consumers, tenants, taxpayers, and as victims and witnesses of crime. It also calls for strategies to strengthen multilingual outreach and rights education.
Moore said the executive order builds on earlier efforts to support the state’s immigrant community. Earlier this year, he signed legislation designating schools and hospitals as safe spaces and prohibiting state and local jurisdictions from deputizing officers for federal civil immigration enforcement activity.
In February, Moore sent a letter to then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem outlining concerns about the department’s purchase and planned development of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention warehouse near Williamsport. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
He also convened a roundtable with faith leaders, local officials, business owners and nonprofit representatives to discuss concerns about the project.
“Maryland’s immigrant communities are an essential part of our state’s economic success and cultural fabric,” said Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman. “Every Marylander deserves to be treated fairly, to understand their rights and to be protected from fraud and exploitation.
“This task force will strengthen coordination across state agencies, expand access to information and resources, and help ensure that immigrant families can live, work and contribute to our communities without fear,” she added.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said Caribbean and other immigrant communities are “particularly vulnerable to wage theft, housing scams and workplace abuse in the current political climate.
“This task force brings state government together to ensure immigrant Marylanders have access to the services they need, protection they deserve and the rights they are owed,” he added.
