We celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988. The theme for 2022 is “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation.”

The reason Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 is because September 15 is significant to a number of Latin American countries. It is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua

You can find news, information and celebrations on the website for National Hispanic Heritage Month.

For local activities, Check the Collaboration Council website for events related to this celebration.

County Executive Elrich kicked-off Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15 by issuing a proclamation to recognize the special month. The proclamation presentation video can be viewed here

To register to vote in Maryland, you must live in Maryland. Or you must have lived in Maryland just before moving overseas. If you are voting from overseas and you did not live in Maryland just before moving overseas, you cannot register and vote in Maryland.   Register to vote, check your status or change your registration here Learn more about general voter registration requirements. Learn more about eligibility requirements for military and for citizens residing outside the U.S.
You have the right to vote. If anyone tries to stop you, call the Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-687-8683. We also wrote a handy guide that outlines your voting rights.

Before you vote, read how your candidates responded to questions in the online Voters’ Guide. Find much more at vote411.org:

✔ Request a Mail-in Ballot
✔ Learn What’s On Your Ballot
✔ Fill Out/Print a Sample Ballot
✔ Find Vote Centers
✔ Locate Ballot Drop Boxes

Know Your Rights Information and Immigration Legal Services in Montgomery County, MD and Vicinity

Know Your Rights Information

Update: Immigration FAQs (as of 7/11/2019)

In order to help immigrant communities be prepared for any emergency situations that may arise, we have updated our Immigration FAQs to include Know Your Rights resources, information on how to prepare for possible ICE raids, where to get legal help, and more.  (English) (Spanish) 

If you are a victim of an immigration raid or know of a raid in the area, call CASA de Maryland‘s hotline at  301-431-4185. In case of an ICE raid or emergency, or if you want a trained group of volunteers to go with you to an ICE check-in or immigration court, call Sanctuary DMV’s ICE Emergency Hotline at  202-335-1183. If you know someone in ICE detention who needs information or assistance, call the CAIR Coalition at 202-331-3329.  See flyer for more information.  (Spanish)

• Resources to Prepare for Immigration Raids, a comprehensive compilation of resources by local organizations.
• ACLU-MD’s  What to Do If You’re Stopped by the Police (English). ( Spanish)
• ACLU-MD’s  Additional Information for Non-Citizens. ( Spanish)
• ACLU-MD’s  ICE Home Raids (English) . ( Spanish)
• Call  United We Dream’s national hotline at:  1-844-363-1423 to report ICE activity.
• Procedures for handling visits from immigration officers to County facilities
• Know Your Rights Handouts: If ICE Visits a Home, Employer or a Public Space, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), in English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Punjabi. (11/30/2017)
• Know Your Rights Information and Flyers by United We Dream. Available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Farsi, Marathi, Tagalog, and Haitian-Creole.
• Know Your Rights Postcards in multiple languages (including Arabic, Spanish, Farsi, and Somai). Print and carry with you. By National Immigration Law Center. (11/10/2016)
• CASA de Maryland’s  Know Your Rights Booklets, in English and Spanish. (updated 3/2017)
• CLINIC’s Know Your Rights Guides and Know Your Rights Cards (in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese) and (Spanish).
• Know Your Rights video (English), ( Espanol). By CAIR Coalition (1/2017)
• InformedImmigrant.com has a wealth of up-to-date resources, in English and Spanish, including FAQ’s on recent Executive Orders, the status of DACA and more.
• Immi helps immigrants in the U.S. understand their legal options, provides an online screening tool, legal information and referrals to nonprofit legal services organizations

Family Preparedness

• Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s  Family Preparedness Plan (English) ( Spanish ) (Chinese) (updated 6/2018)
• What If I’m Picked Up By ICE? Preparing for the Possibility of Being Detained, Deported, and Separated From Your Children (English), ( Spanish) ( French), created by Steptoe & Johnson (2017)
• Montgomery County Public School’s Immigration Information
• Help for Immigrant Families: Guidance for Schools. By ILRC. (3/2017)
• Information on Maryland’s Standby Guardianship Law and Parental Designation and Consent Form for Standby Guardianship

Know Your Rights Information and Immigration Legal Services in Montgomery County, MD and Vicinity

Know Your Rights Information

If you are a victim of an immigration raid or know of a raid in the area, call CASA de Maryland‘s hotline at  301-431-4185. In case of an ICE raid or emergency, or if you want a trained group of volunteers to go with you to an ICE check-in or immigration court, call Sanctuary DMV’s ICE Emergency Hotline at  202-335-1183. If you know someone in ICE detention who needs information or assistance, call the CAIR Coalition at 202-331-3329.  See flyer for more information.  (Spanish)

• Resources to Prepare for Immigration Raids, a comprehensive compilation of resources by local organizations.
• ACLU-MD’s  What to Do If You’re Stopped by the Police (English). ( Spanish)
• ACLU-MD’s  Additional Information for Non-Citizens. ( Spanish)
• ACLU-MD’s  ICE Home Raids (English) . ( Spanish)
• Call  United We Dream’s national hotline at:  1-844-363-1423 to report ICE activity.
• Procedures for handling visits from immigration officers to County facilities
• Know Your Rights Handouts: If ICE Visits a Home, Employer or a Public Space, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), in English, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, Arabic, Haitian Creole, and Punjabi. (11/30/2017)
• Know Your Rights Information and Flyers by United We Dream. Available in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Farsi, Marathi, Tagalog, and Haitian-Creole.
• Know Your Rights Postcards in multiple languages (including Arabic, Spanish, Farsi, and Somai). Print and carry with you. By National Immigration Law Center. (11/10/2016)
• CASA de Maryland’s  Know Your Rights Booklets, in English and Spanish. (updated 3/2017)
• CLINIC’s Know Your Rights Guides and Know Your Rights Cards (in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese) and (Spanish).
• Know Your Rights video (English), ( Espanol). By CAIR Coalition (1/2017)
• InformedImmigrant.com has a wealth of up-to-date resources, in English and Spanish, including FAQ’s on recent Executive Orders, the status of DACA and more.
• Immi helps immigrants in the U.S. understand their legal options, provides an online screening tool, legal information and referrals to nonprofit legal services organizations

Family Preparedness

• Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s  Family Preparedness Plan (English) ( Spanish ) (Chinese) (updated 6/2018)
• What If I’m Picked Up By ICE? Preparing for the Possibility of Being Detained, Deported, and Separated From Your Children (English), ( Spanish) ( French), created by Steptoe & Johnson (2017)
• Montgomery County Public School’s Immigration Information
• Help for Immigrant Families: Guidance for Schools. By ILRC. (3/2017)
• Information on Maryland’s Standby Guardianship Law and Parental Designation and Consent Form for Standby Guardianship

The The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)  has released this document, entitled “How to Talk to Immigrant Families About Public Charge”. The Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign provides these resources that explain Public Charge, and an overview of the Protecting Immigrant Families, Advancing our Future Campaign. CLASP is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty nonprofit advancing policy solutions for low-income people.

The Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity is offering a Job Search Workshop for non-native english speaking job -seekers. Wednesdays, April 25 -June 13, 2018. Eligible participants:

• Have high Intermediate/Advanced English
• Are comfortable with Internet/email
• Are familiar with Microsoft Word
• Have access to a computer

The Job Search Workshop provides participants with a learning opportunity to:

• Explore the job market and identify future opportunities
• Prepare a resume and cover letter
• Complete an application on paper and online
• Practice interview skills Learn how to succeed in the U.S. workplace

How to Apply: Email Judith Johnson at judithheron@gmail.com

Registration Fee: $25

Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services’  Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) program has recently published the third volume of their mental health photonovel series! As part of the Be the One That Makes a Difference  project, the photonovels aims to destigmatize mental health in the Asian American community.

All photonovels are available in multiple languages including Chinese, Hindi, Korean, and Vietnamese in addition to English. You can download the electronic versions of volume 1, 2, and 3 from the AAHI Resource Library

Montgomery County’s Department of Health and Human Services’  Asian American Health Initiative (AAHI) program has published a printable guide for social service resources in the County.  It is available in 15 languages on the AAHI website or by calling 240-777-4517. These are the most requested languages:

• English
• Chinese
• Vietnamese
• Korean
• Hindi

For many students from immigrant families, the shifts in immigration policy over the past month have been much more than a series of news stories; these students are dealing with tangible anxiety. Not only are teachers tasked with responding to students’ fears and providing the support they need, but also they’re working to address the facts and field students’ questions about the rapidly shifting policies.

The Teaching Tolerance staff of the SPLC has put together a package of resources to help you navigate this topic in your classroom and at your school.

  Here are just a few of the resources you’ll find:

• A printable poster to let students know they’re welcome at your school

• A helpful guide for supporting children from immigrant and refugee families

• Lessons for teaching a variety of immigration topic

The Teaching Tolerance staff of the SPLC has updated their Ten Myths about Immigration to respond to the recent executive orders and proposed legislation to limit immigration and acceptance of refugees, educators and students.   The updated version of their popular “Ten Myths About Immigration” feature reflects current statistics and information so you and your students can dispel harmful stereotypes.

Take a minute to read through the article, learn why the statements are false and think about how to talk to students about the realities behind each myth.

How many of these myths have you heard?

1. Most immigrants are here illegally.
2. It’s easy to enter the country legally. My ancestors did; why can’t immigrants today?
3. Today’s immigrants don’t want to learn English.
4. Immigrants take good jobs from U.S. citizens.
5. “The worst” people from other countries are coming to the United States and bringing crime and violence.
6. Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes and burden the national economy.
7. The United States is being overrun by immigrants like never before.
8. We can stop undocumented immigrants coming to the United States by building a wall along the border with Mexico.
9. Banning immigrants and refugees from majority-Muslim countries will protect the United States from terrorists.
10. Refugees are not screened before entering the United States.

We hope that, with these facts at your fingertips, you’ll feel more confident leading constructive conversations about immigration and the role that immigrants play in shaping our history and identity as a country