Maryland Passes New Immigration Protection Law

This new law is a major victory for the immigrant rights movement, as it explicitly criminalizing threats to expose an undocumented Marylander’s immigration status by other individuals, such as unethical employers, as a manner of stealing wages, labor, and other items of value. The law will protect immigrants in Maryland from these harmful acts, and in certain cases may qualify an immigrant for a U visa, which conveys a lawful immigration status to victims of a set of qualifying crimes.  Maryland joins California, Colorado, and Virginia as the only other states with similar laws to protect undocumented immigrants. More information about the new law can be found here.