On Tuesday, the most anti-immigrant Attorney General in history visited our state to bash immigrants and demoagogue on gang violence. We should all take the silence coming out of Governor Hogan as a tacit endorsement, and frankly he ought be ashamed.
One in 7 Maryland residents are immigrants – including me. I was 9-months old when my parents fled Sri Lanka. The country was on the brink of a civil war, and my family arrived in the United States with just $200 in our pockets. Like the generations of immigrants that arrived before and after us, life was not easy, but we worked incredibly hard. My parents did everything in their power to give my brother and me a shot at the American Dream. In exchange, we studied diligently in school and spent our adult lives serving the state, and the country, that we now call home. Maryland is the first State in America to not only pass a State-level DREAM Act but to defend it at the ballot box. That’s right, the people of our State have spoken loud and clear: we are one Maryland, and everyone is welcome here. Like the very DREAMers themselves, our law represents the best of our State and it stands as testament to our values, and our commitment to the strength of our collective story. But Governor Hogan, President Trump and Attorney General Sessions seem to have other ideas. President Trump’s decision to end the DACA program threatens our constitutionally guaranteed right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. His decision directly endangers the lives of the 10,000 DREAMERS serving, working, or studying in Maryland, but an injustice levied against one of them is an injustice against us all. We need to act boldly to protect our friends, students, and family members affected by President Trump and Governor Hogan’s nativist policies that embolden ICE agents to come knocking at our doors. Today, more than ever, we must arm ourselves with information. Maryland is a community of immigrants, and we deserve credit for our contributions to our State’s economy and character. Deporting the 10,000 DREAMERS protected under DACA would cost Maryland an estimated $509.4 million. Immigrants are twice as likely to start a business as other Americans, and they all pay taxes – even those who may be undocumented. It’s been estimated that undocumented immigrants in Maryland pay nearly $300 million in state and local taxes. The presence of immigrants also adds value to homes in Maryland neighborhoods. In Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County, immigrants helped raise the price of homes nearly $2,000 over the first decade of the 21st century. In Montgomery and Prince George’s County, they added over $6,000 in value. Not to mention, more than 18% of our state’s workforce is foreign-born. Local, state, and federal lawmakers must be made aware of the incredible economic strength immigrants bring to their state. With math like this, Maryland cannot afford to be anything other than welcoming. However, effectively persuading policymakers of the value of immigrants requires more than facts and figures. We need to amplify the stories of the students, military veterans, and small business owners who benefit from DACA and other immigrant friendly legislation. Jesus Perez, a DACA recipient and researcher at Johns Hopkins, recently told the Baltimore Sun, “Our parents taught us that no matter what happens, you always find a path.” Perez left Mexico when he was 5, and like my brother and I, he barely remembers a life before he arrived in the United States. Today, he is a research assistant at one of the best universities in the world. DACA recipients represent the best of us. They have clean criminal records and if not in school, they must be employed or serving in the military. There is also more we can do together – as a community and as a State -- to safeguard the rights of Maryland residents who are not protected under federal law. In August 2017, a mere five days after informing ICE officials that he would be attending college in North Carolina on a soccer scholarship, 19 year old Gaithersburg resident Lizandro Claros and his 22 year old brother Diego were deported to El Salvador — a country ravaged by a recent resurgence of violence similar to the one that forced the Claros brothers to flee at the ages of 11 and 14. Lizandro and Diego met the majority of DACA requirements, but their arrival date excluded them from receiving protected status. Lizandro and Diego represent the uncertainty too many Maryland residents face each day. We must do more to ensure that our neighbors are not forced out of their schools, homes, workplaces, or houses of worship. The sad fact is that Governor Hogan has a history of collaborating with ICE in using state resources to deport and detain immigrants whose stories mirror those of Lizandro, Diego, and Jesus. It’s up to all of us to defend DACA and to ensure that Maryland continue to offer driver’s licenses, work permits, and protection to anyone willing to positively contribute to the economic life of our state, regardless of the color of their passport.