The Montgomery County Council is considering making a change to local law in order to expand protections for certain undocumented immigrants in Maryland.
A bill announced Tuesday by Council member Evan Glass would impact special visas, called U-visas, that give legal status to undocumented immigrants who are victims of certain violent crimes.
Under federal law, U-visas give legal status to victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence, among other offenses. But in Montgomery County, if the crime happened more than 10 years before the victim applied for a U-visa, they are not eligible for it.
Federal law has no statute of limitations on when the crime must have occurred, so Glass said he doesn’t know why that 10-year cutoff exists locally.
“It is an arbitrary timeline, especially given that the federal government does not impose any timeline on it,” said Glass.
The bill announced by Glass would remove the 10-year statute of limitations.
He cited President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to carry out mass deportations of migrants living in the U.S. without legal permission as the reason behind the bill.
“This bill is a direct response to the climate of fear and uncertainty that has grown across our community and across the country,” Glass said. “The national election has changed everything.”
Alice Barrett, an immigration attorney, said removing the 10-year cutoff “ensures that immigrants who have been victimized and supported our local law enforcement … are able to continue to come forth and provide such support without fear of deportation as a result.”
“Building this trust without an expiration date is instrumental at this time,” Barrett said.
The county council plans to hold a public hearing on the bill in January.
“Many of our neighbors are living in fear that has been exacerbated by the outcome of the national election,” Glass said. “We want people to cooperate with police and we want people to seek help in times of need.”
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