Montgomery County lawmakers strengthen protections for undocumented migrants who are victims of crime

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - In Montgomery County, lawmakers unanimously voted to pass legislation that strengthens protections for victims and witnesses of crimes who are undocumented.

It's called the Uplifting Victims and Immigrant Safety Act, introduced soon after the presidential election back in November by Councilmembers Natali Fani-González, Evan Glass and Dawn Luedtke.

"In Montgomery County, we are using every single tool available to ensure people feel safe," Fani-González said.

What this does is essentially line the county up with current state and federal laws, removing a local restriction that required violent crimes to have happened within the past 10 years for people to qualify for a U Visa certification.

What is a U Visa?

The Basics:

A U Visa grants legal status to witnesses and victims of serious violent crimes such as sexual assault, kidnapping, human trafficking, domestic violence, who help police with the investigation of those crimes.

When FOX 5 asked Montgomery County Police how this impacts them, they stated that they do not question any person as to their immigration status - whether that's a witness, victim, or arrestee.

READ MORE: Montgomery County leaders look to strengthen immigration protections

But added that the U Visa program does help solve cases because without those victims, they would likely not be able to move forward to investigate and prosecute.

Why it matters

What they're saying:

It also goes a long way in building trust between the immigrant community and law enforcement

Councilmember Fani-González told FOX 5's Homa Bash about an undocumented woman in the Glenmont area with two kids born in the United States who just had U Visa status approved after witnesses a serious drug-related crime.

"She was key for law enforcement to find the people who committed this crime - so the system works and we are hoping more people can use it and more people can speak up when they see something wrong," she said.

Councilmembers said with the way immigration policies have been shifting, they wanted to be proactive in protecting undocumented victims.

A closer look

By the numbers:

There are very specific eligibility requirements for someone to gain legal status with a U Visa. There were 121 applications in Montgomery County in 2024 and only about half were granted.

Per MCPD, below are the number of applications for the last several years, but that does not indicate which ones were actually approved.

• In 2023, there were 145 applications.
• In 2022, there were 170 applications.
• In 2021, there were 132 applications.
• In 2020, there were 62 applications.