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Immigrant advocates urge council to restore and expand funding for legal services and language access
Summary
Multiple immigrant-serving organizations and clients testified that immigration legal services, interpretation and culturally competent wraparound supports are urgent priorities in the proposed fiscal 2026 budget. Speakers asked the council to fund the mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, immigration legal defense, and sustained language access.
Immigrant leaders and service providers told the Budget and Appropriations Committee that Baltimore must increase and stabilize funding for immigration legal services, language access and community‑based supports amid heightened immigration enforcement.
Emma Waznaga of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights said the Safe City Baltimore program “has been a lifeline” and urged increased funding for immigration legal services. “Since the launch of the Safe City Baltimore program in 2017, our immigration legal services have been able to defend over 230 city residents,” she said, adding that…
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