SALISBURY, Md. - Members of Salisbury's Haitian community joined faith leaders and supporters Wednesday for a march through downtown, calling attention to fear surrounding recent immigration enforcement and the federal government's move to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.
The demonstration began on North Division Street and ended outside the Wicomico County Government Office, where participants prayed, sang and called for greater protections for Haitian immigrants.
Bishop William J. Barber II, president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, joined local Haitian leaders, clergy and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland.
During remarks outside the county government building, Barber said families in Salisbury are afraid as immigration enforcement continues.
"When we look at what's happening right here in Salisbury, Maryland, and we see our Haitian brothers and sisters being targeted, sometimes they targeted being pushed to the margins and living in deep, children living in fear, agonizing families afraid," Barber said. "There's something deeply wrong. Wrong when people are afraid to leave their homes. The pews, churches are empty because people are scared."
Roosevelt Toussaint, a local Haitian community leader, said the turnout exceeded his expectations.
"Oh my. Oh, I'm excited. I know some people were going to come, but I was not even expecting all these many people," Toussaint said. "But so this is a tremendous gathering, and I'm hoping that even if we have some positive result, I believe that."
Toussaint said the march came together after faith leaders reached out and offered to help organize a public demonstration in Salisbury.
"We received a call from this group that said that we heard your cry," Toussaint said. "So can we come down here to organize in March so we can really, make a statement for change?"
Organizers also attempted to symbolically deliver a letter to Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano during the event. They were told Giordano was not inside the county government building at the time.
The letter called on county leadership to support the Haitian community and raised concerns about the county's previous participation in the federal 287(g) program, which allows state and local law enforcement agencies to perform certain immigration enforcement functions under agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Giordano told WBOC that Wicomico County is no longer participating in the program.
"Let's be clear about the facts. Wicomico County is no longer participating in the 287(g) program," Giordano said in a statement. "When the Maryland General Assembly enacted legislation prohibiting these agreements in February, my administration complied with the law and withdrew from the program."
Giordano said it is "inaccurate and misleading" to connect the county's former agreement to current federal immigration operations.
"Those operations are conducted by federal authorities, not by the County Executive or Wicomico County government," Giordano said.
She added that she understands families are experiencing fear and uncertainty, but said conversations about immigration enforcement must be based on facts.
The Department of Homeland Security also responded to WBOC's questions about immigration enforcement.
"Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe," a DHS spokesperson said. "DHS does not discuss ongoing or future operations."
The spokesperson also defended the federal government's position on Temporary Protected Status.
"Temporary Protected Status is exactly that, temporary," the spokesperson said. "For too long, TPS has been allowed to function as a de facto amnesty program despite Congress never intending it to be permanent."
DHS also encouraged people who no longer have authorization to remain in the United States to leave voluntarily, saying "it’s closing time which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here."
The ACLU of Maryland said it wants Haitian families to be able to continue working, worshipping and living without fear.
"We want the Haitian community to be safe so that they can work, worship, and live their lives and experience their full humanity," ACLU of Maryland Executive Director Dana Vickers Shelley said. "We want protections for Haitian immigrants."
Barber told the crowd the demonstration should not end with Wednesday's march and called on supporters to remain politically engaged.
"It's time to come together right now. It's time to stand together right now," Barber said.
