Immigration: Change Starts Locally

How the Howard County Council Can Support Local Immigrants

Katie Garner
March 2, 2018
Intern Mentor G/T
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In the frigid middle of winter, a foreign-born Howard County woman was desperately in

need of food and shelter. She had no means of transportation, but knew that she quite possibly

could not survive without help. Therefore, when a friend told her about a local program known

as FIRN (Foreign-born Information and Referral Program), she felt that the only way for her to

receive the aid she so desperately needed was to walk there, despite the frosty weather. Yet, as

she walked through freezing conditions, she realized that she would not be able to make it any

further. Not knowing what else to do, she called FIRN, and one of their counselors--out of the

kindness of their heart--drove to pick her up and bring her to their office. From there, FIRN

supplied her with food, a bed, coats, shoes, and even a job within the week. Now, her son is

attending school and learning English, while her employer consistently calls FIRN praising her

work ethic (Lilly). This woman is proof that, with proper support from their community,

foreign-born individuals can live successful lives and make meaningful contributions to society.

Knowing this, we must realize the advantages of living in an area as diverse as Howard County.

Residents are fortunate enough to live amongst people from a wide array of backgrounds, with

their neighbors originating from China to Honduras. This huge variety of people does not only

generate a unique society--they also create thriving businesses, offer insightful experience, and

serve as some of the strongest parts of our workforce. Needless to say, great diversity means a

great deal of immigrants, both documented and undocumented.

Yet, as a result of political slander in the 2016 election, people are beginning to fear

immigrants instead of appreciate them. But why are we so afraid of immigrants? Aside from the

roughly 2% of our population that is Native American (United States Census Bureau),

Americans are all descendants of immigrants—people who voyaged to a new land in search of a
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better life. Nevertheless, the current political climate has put everyone on edge, and we have

forgotten to protect those who make our County the special place that it is. Now more than ever,

it is important that the Howard County Council shows its support for local immigrants. They

attempted to do just this in early 2017, when Sanctuary legislation was proposed in the Howard

County Council. However, this bill became very controversial and was vetoed. This should not

be the Council’s last attempt to support our local immigrants. ​In spite of the failure of

Sanctuary County legislation, the Howard County Council can continue its effort to

support immigrants by standing behind current immigrant integration programs in

Howard County, celebrating local diversity, reevaluating its hiring practices, and creating

a task force advocating for local immigrants.

First, before we can understand what else there is for the Howard County Council to do,

we must examine what Sanctuary legislation is and why it failed, so we can shape future efforts

to better fit our community. In early 2017, in response to growing tensions over immigration in

America, Councilman Calvin Ball and Councilwoman Jen Terrasa of the Howard County

Council proposed CB9, a bill that would label Howard County as a Sanctuary for undocumented

immigrants. More specifically, Sanctuary status suggests that if a police officer were to stop

someone, they would not ask them about their citizenship status, and, furthermore, police would

not cooperate with immigration authorities (Turque). It is legislation that has been implemented

in regions across the Country: from San Francisco, California to Ithaca, New York. Thus, with

Howard County being a rather progressive area, many assumed that the legislation would work

well here, too. However, the bill sparked controversy--large numbers of constituents supported

each side of the debate, resulting in a great deal of protest. Weeks went by and amendments were
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made; the bill was stripped of the “Sanctuary” title so as not to risk the county losing federal

funding. Then, after its long journey through the legislative process, the bill was put to a vote and

passed 3-2. Though the bill passed through the Council, the legislation was vetoed by our County

Executive Allan Kittleman, and without a Council vote of 4-1, the veto could not be overridden

(Turque).

So why is it that this legislation failed, and why were so many people against it?

According to County Executive Allan Kittleman, “The bill offers a false sense of security to

undocumented immigrants, compromises public safety efforts, and puts us at risk for losing

critical federal funding.” Others, such as former Governor of Maryland Robert Erlich, seem to

believe that immigrants are dangerous, and that Sanctuaries are not only violating rule of law,

but putting their citizens at risk (Erlich). Based on all of the valid concerns raised in the

Sanctuary debate, we know that future policy and programs should, firstly, not encourage

undocumented immigrants to continue being undocumented, and secondly, should not interfere

with the work of the police force. However, as for Erlich’s argument suggesting that immigrants

may be dangerous, it is just not true. Immigrants are significantly less likely to commit a crime

than a native born American (Ross). Furthermore, there are countless immigrants, like the

woman in the aforementioned story, who are hard workers that can greatly benefit our society.

These are the kinds of people that we do not want to lose in our society. Therefore, with people’s

various concerns in mind, it is time to examine several less controversial and more practical

methods for supporting immigrant integration in Howard County. We must find ways to

assimilate immigrants into our culture, while allowing them to maintain the traditions of their
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own unique background; it is time for the Howard County Council to find other methods for

supporting and valuing our County’s immigrants.

I propose that the Howard County Council should continue to advocate for immigrants,

first of all, by further supporting programs already in place locally—particularly FIRN. FIRN is

a valuable program in Howard County that “empowers foreign-born individuals by providing

programs and direct services that help them access community resources and opportunities”

(FIRN). They provide a wide variety of services to our local immigrants, among which are career

development, health care navigation, immigration counseling, English classes, and interpreting

services. All of these services are considered vital in helping immigrants to assimilate, according

to Els de Graauw and Irene Bloemraad in their article, “Working Together: Building Successful

Policy and Program Partnerships for Immigrant Integration.” Additionally, FIRN advocates for

Immigrants Rights and is connected to programs such as The American Immigration Lawyers

Association, The American Civil Liberties Union, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and

Multicultural Affairs, and the National Immigration Law Center. These connections serve to

ensure that immigrants receive the rights they deserve. So, how can the Howard County Council

show its support for FIRN? Firstly, we can connect with representatives from FIRN, asking for

pamphlets, posters, and other resources that can be displayed in County-run buildings, such as

the George Howard Building. This way, visitors of County offices who may be in need of such

assistance can be directly referred to FIRN. Another way in which the County Council can

support FIRN is by considering increasing the funding they provide FIRN. With the political

climate being what it is, more and more fearful immigrants are turning to FIRN for support.
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Therefore, any funding they receive will help them continue to provide the aforementioned

services and even expand, offering more assistance to more people.

In addition to supporting programs such as FIRN, it is important that the Howard County

Council celebrates the diversity that makes our community so special. This celebrating of

diversity is vital to successful community relations, because “it is in finding that common ground

that we discover our humanity” (Pigford). Luckily, there are many methods for doing just this.

First of all, it may be beneficial to hold open forums every so often in which people are able to

advertise for County initiatives supporting diversity, learn how to create an inclusive community,

and provide constructive advice to the Council on how they can support immigrants. This way,

not only will Council members be better aware of how to support their constituents, but business

owners, teachers, and other leaders from the County can attend and learn how to create an

inclusive environment in their workplace. Furthermore, another excellent way to support

different cultures would be to fill the Council offices with artwork made by constituents with

very different cultural backgrounds. This should not just be in the George Banneker room, but

everywhere. Additionally, I was introduced to another somewhat similar and very intriguing idea

while in Cleveland, Ohio. On either side of one of Cleveland’s main roads, there is an enormous

cultural garden. Cleveland residents from countries around the world were given a fair amount of

garden space to decorate in a manner honoring their culture. There are plants, statues, fountains,

and pathways that are all unique to each country. Not only is this beautiful, but it celebrates

diversity and is good for the environment (Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation). Thus, if we

have the space for it in Howard County, it may be a wonderful idea for the County Council to

sponsor this or a similar space where nationalities can be showcased in such a positive light.
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Moreover, one of the most important things that the Council can do to promote local

inclusion is to alter its hiring practices. Though Council members are elected, and though it is

understandable that the Council would hire the most qualified person for any job, it is quite

shocking that many minorities are not represented on the Council or in the Council’s office. For

example, as of 2016, Asians make up 18.3% of Howard County’s population (United States

Census Bureau). However, there is no one serving on the Council, working as an assistant to a

Council member, or acting as a District Aide who represents this group. Therefore, it may be a

good idea to keep the representation of our various populations in mind when the office is hiring

others, so that no minority is left out of our local government. As long as all employees are

qualified for their job, we must keep Affirmative Action in mind. In the words of my mentor,

Councilman Calvin Ball, “​The more diverse the representation, the stronger the voice is for the

people. In order to effectively serve a diverse community, there must be a diversity in local

government… People cannot fully realize the promise of the American dream without being

represented in local government” (Ball). Thus, it is in the Howard County Council’s best interest

to ensure that their office is filled with people representing a diverse array of backgrounds.

Perhaps the best method for implementing all of these ideas would be to create an

Immigrant Awareness Task Force through the Howard County Council. A task force is a group

of people that works temporarily to accomplish a particular goal (Pruim). Currently, the Council

has four task forces in place: the Economic Opportunity and Prosperity Task Force, the Task

Force on Human Trafficking, the Task Force on Fueling Stations, and the Task Force to Study

Mulching, Composting, and Wood Processing (Howard County Council Home). In this case, to

create an Immigrant Awareness Task Force, the Council would gather a group of people—likely
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experts from FIRN as well as local immigrants—who would aim to implement policy and

programs that they find to be the most valuable to our immigrant community, so long as we find

ourselves in this current political climate. They could be responsible for putting FIRN’s

information in more public spaces, organizing diversity seminars, sharing art and culture from

various countries with the public, or accomplishing whatever else the task force sees fit. It will

be an excellent way to give representatives from all sorts of backgrounds positions in our local

government, and ultimately, give a voice to people who may not feel adequately represented in

the community. Finally, it will highlight the diversity that makes Howard County such an

extraordinary community.

Thus, it is time for the Howard County Council to once again advocate for our local

immigrants. With their influence as our County’s primary legislative body, local immigrants

would feel much more at ease knowing that their local government stands behind them, and

wants to address their concerns. Even though Sanctuary legislation was too drastic to implement

in our community, there are still various other methods for making immigrants feel supported

and safe in Howard County. Introducing constituents to FIRN, celebrating our local diversity,

and creating a task force are all methods that the Howard County Council can use to show

support for immigrants in these worrying times. When more people are aware of what the FIRN

program does, more immigrants will have a place to turn to when they need assistance. When our

County celebrates diversity, our constituents will be reminded that there is no reason to fear

immigrants. When there is an Immigrant Awareness Task Force as part of the Howard County

Council, those who often feel voiceless will instead feel represented. Therefore, it is time for the

Howard County Council to join the movement, and stand in support of the immigrants who make
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our community great. With their help, the aforementioned success story can become just one of

many moving tales contributing to Howard County’s excellent reputation.

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Works Cited

Ball, Calvin. Interview.

Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation. “The Cleveland Cultural Gardens.” ​The Cleveland

Cultural Gardens Federation,​ www.clevelandculturalgardens.org/​, Accessed 27 Feb.

2018.

Colorful Hands Composing Tree. Blue Ridge Community College.

De Graauw, Els, and Irene Bloemraad. "Working Together: Building Successful Policy and

Program Partnerships for Immigrant Integration." ​Journal on Migration and Human

Security,​ vol. 5, no. 1, 2017, pp. 105-23. ​Columbia International Affairs Online,​

www.ciaonet.org.libproxy.howardcc.edu/record/43795?search=1. Accessed 22 Oct. 2017.

Ehrlich, Robert. "Sanctuary Cities Violate Federal Law and Common Sense." ​The Weekly

Standard,​ 4 Aug. 2015. ​Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection​, Gale, 2017. ​Opposing

Viewpoints in Context​, http://libproxy.howardcc.edu/login?url=http:/ /link.galegroup.com

/apps/doc/OHIREK480598408/OVIC?u=colu91149&xid=5826823d. Accessed 11 Jan.

2018.

FIRN.​ Wordpress, www.firnonline.org. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.

Howard County Council Home.​ Howard County, Maryland, 2017, cc.howardcountymd.gov/.

Accessed 6 Oct. 2017.

Lilly, Kristin. Interview.

Maryland, Howard County Council. Sanctuary - Immigration and Citizenship. 2017 Howard

County Council, Council Bill CB9.

Pruim, Kim. Interview.

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Ross, Janell. "6 Big Things to Know about Sanctuary Cities." ​The Washington Post​, 8 July 2015.

Turque, Bill. "Howard County Executive Kittleman to veto immigrant protection bill." ​The

Washington Post​, 6 Feb. 2017. URLs or page numbers for the two Washington Post

articles.

United States Census Bureau, Department of Commerce. ​Facts for Features: American Indian

and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2015.​ Report no. CB15-FF.22, 2 Nov.

2015. ​United States Census Bureau,​ ​www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2

015/cb15-ff22.html. Accessed 7 Jan. 2018​.

United States Department of Commerce, United States Census Bureau. ​Howard County,

Maryland: Race and Hispanic Origin.​ ​www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/

howardcountymaryland/PST045216.

Pigford, Aretha B. "Celebrating Diversity." ​Educational Leadership,​ vol. 53, no. 7, Apr. 1996, p.

86. ​Academic OneFile​, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A18338753/AONE?u=colu91149

&sid=AONE&xid=5c2187d3. Accessed 11 Jan. 2018.