Cheers and chants were heard across downtown Annapolis Tuesday morning when pro-immigration figures gathered to speak out against deportations that have taken place since the Trump administration took office in January.

The rally was organized by CASA, an East Coast advocacy group for people of color, and Jews United for Justice, which works in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Montgomery County, and Anne Arundel County.

Hundreds gathered at the Lawyer’s Mall across the street from the State House.

“Your presence here sends a powerful message, not just to the legislators, but to every immigrant, every family, every worker and every student wondering if they’re alone in this fight,” said Crisaly De Los Santos, Baltimore and Central Maryland director for CASA. “Let’s tell them right now that they are not alone.”

“We are all immigrants or the children of immigrants here,” said Andy Miller, of the Jews United for Justice Baltimore Leadership Council. “The safety and the rights of the immigrant members of our families, neighborhoods, and communities are our collective responsibility.”

One speaker, a masked fourth grader introduced only as Tony, spoke to the crowd via a translator about his dreams of becoming a firefighter and his newfound fear of going to school and encountering U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE agents.

“So, we ask ourselves today, what do we want to create? What kind of society do we want?” said Pastor Julio Hernandez, addressing the crowd. “I don’t want to live in a place where kids are scared to go to school. I do not want to live in a place where people are scared to work. I don’t want to live in a place that pushes us into the shadows. So, it’s time to stand up and fight back.”

Some of the speakers were lawmakers touting legislation meant to protect vulnerable Marylanders.District 20 state Del. and Legislative Black Caucus leader Jheanelle Wilkins, an immigrant herself, spoke about the Sensitive Locations Act, which, if adopted, would limit ICE access to places like schools and places of worship.

State Del. Lorig Charkoudian, who also represents District 20, teased a bill that would protect state agencies from having to share sensitive information with ICE without a judge-signed warrant. Charkoudian, along with many others, spoke out against the federal 287(g) Program, which allows ICE to train local law enforcement to enforce immigration policy

“It reinforces that we protect the privacy of all of our residents, we protect the immigrants in our community, and also that we are not going to use any state resources for things that should be paid for by the federal government, and we are not going to compromise our values,” Charkoudian said.

Many of the speakers looked back on the previous Trump administration, and how actions being taken now echo actions taken then.

“We see the contributions that [immigrants] make to our community every single day, the families that you raise, the dreams that you pursue, the sacrifices that you make, and the hardships that you endure. You are more than a stamp on a piece of paper. You are a human being, and you deserve dignity, respect, and compassion, and I promise you, you are not alone,” said Zainab Chaudry, Maryland director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

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