Montgomery County families with immigration concerns are advised to have a plan in place, including a standby guardian for their children. That was the message at a County Council media briefing held on Tuesday.
A Chilling Incident
An incident last week on school grounds sent shock waves through the immigrant community. Two people were reportedly tackled and arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the sidewalk outside Eastern Middle School in Silver Spring as students were heading into the building in the morning.
“We can’t provide legal advice here to families, but we recommend that they look at their own family situation, assess their risk, and get support,” County Council President Kate Stewart said during the briefing. “And we have partnerships with CASA, with a lot of other organizations in the community.”
She said Montgomery County Public Schools has sent information home to families to make sure people have guardianship forms.
Emergency Plans
MCPS advises families with immigration status concerns to have an emergency plan and to designate a family member to look after their kids in case of emergency. Those families are encouraged to look into standby guardianship.
A standby guardian is appointed by a child’s parent to take care of the child if the parent is subject to immigration action like deportation, according to the People’s Law Library of Maryland. The guardianship does not affect custody and parents do not lose their parental rights. Parents can fill out this form provided by the Maryland Judiciary to designate a standby guardian for their kids in the event that the parent is detained by ICE.
Where to Get Help
Stewart said community members can direct questions to her office, or to the federal delegation including U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin’s and U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s offices, and they will be connected to someone who can help them.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” she said.
She emphasized that local police do not do immigration enforcement.
