Even though Montgomery County provides millions of dollars to immigrant advocacy group CASA of Maryland, a representative for the county executive said officials see nothing wrong with the group providing brochures largely aimed at helping illegal immigrants.
The brochures, which are circulating nationwide via the Internet, provide advice to immigrants about steps to take when authorities raid their homes or places of employment.
Leggett spokesman Patrick Lacefield said the money the county doles out to CASA does not pay for the controversial “Know Your Rights” booklets.
Repeated requests for the amount the county provides to CASA annually were not returned by deadline Thursday. But the number is in the seven-figure category and, according to Lacefield, mostly goes toward health care and work placement.
Montgomery draws a line between the programs for which it does and does not pay.
“The fact is that organizations don’t forfeit their rights to express their opinions just because they get county money,” Lacefield told The Examiner.
Plus, county leaders are of the belief that CASA is a “valuable organization” that has made a positive impact on Montgomery County, he said.
The brochures themselves are merely designed to inform citizens about their options, according to Lacefield.
“It’s being fairly matter of fact about peoples’ rights,” he said.
Among other tips, the eight-page packet advises immigrants to ask to speak to an attorney, to make a plan of action with family members in case they’re arrested and to demand a warrant before allowing anyone inside their residences or businesses.
In the mind of CASA opponents, such tips promote illegal behavior.
Montgomery County police spokeswoman Blanca Kling said her agency, though, does not feel that their messages make officers’ jobs more challenging.
“We respect what they’re doing,” she told The Examiner.
Police Chief J. Thomas Manger has an established relationship with CASA cultivated through the police department’s Hispanic advisory committee.
Kling said county police officers are not directly involved with immigration enforcement but sometimes charge undocumented workers if a warrant is out for their arrest by immigration agents.
