Rockville, MD (April 10th, 2012) – On Tuesday, April 10th, Montgomery County residents will travel to county police headquarters to protest the forced implementation of the discredited “Secure Communities” program and ask the police department to respect immigrant communities.
They will deliver thousands of signed petitions asking to the police department to stop delivering their family members and neighbors into ICE custody.
In February, Montgomery and Baltimore officials received formal notification that ICE would be activating the failed Secure Communities program in their communities. In response, Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined jurisdictions across the country by taking aggressive action to protect immigrants in her jurisdiction.
In March, she signed an Executive Order that protects Baltimore residents from racial profiling and discriminatory treatment based on race, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, and English language proficiency.
Despite repeated pleas from advocacy organizations, Montgomery County has failed to take similar action and Police Chief Tom Manger has been broadly quoted denying the impact of the program. Montgomery County residents on Tuesday will carry petitions to the police department describing that they no longer trust the police.
The Maryland Commission on Family Unity brings together more than twenty civil rights groups, faith institutions, domestic violence organizations, youth services groups, and diverse immigrant organizations to advocate that Maryland communities remain strong and immigrant families remain together despite the broken immigration system.
WHAT: MARCH AND RALLY
WHERE: Montgomery County Police Headquarters, 2350 Research Blvd., Rockville, MD
WHEN: TUESDAY, APRIL 10TH, 2012 4:00 P.M.
WHO: Community Residents, the Maryland Commission on Family Unity
