Governor Moore Signs Executive Order Creating Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force

Updated: Friday, June 5, 2026

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ANNAPOLIS, MD – Today, Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order to create a 12-month statewide task force on immigrant rights protection. The task force brings together State agencies in partnership with the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Comptroller, and other state leaders to coordinate efforts to address the fraud and exploitation of immigrant Marylanders. 

Immigrants comprise approximately 17 percent of Maryland’s population and nearly 22 percent of the state’s labor force. Despite significant contributions to the state’s economic, social, and cultural life, many immigrant Marylanders have long faced discrimination and substandard services in areas such as legal services, employment, and housing. 

More recently, immigrant communities have reported the emergence of new schemes targeting immigrants for exploitation and abuse, as unscrupulous actors seek to take advantage of immigrants’ fear of immigration enforcement. This predatory activity not only harms immigrants and their families, but it also distorts markets, impedes fair competition, and diminishes the safety and security of all Marylanders.  

“Our immigrant communities contribute to the greatness of Maryland,” said Governor Wes Moore. “I have made it clear that we will not stand by while bad actors prey on immigrants in our communities. In forming this task force, we are demonstrating the unity and strength of our state when we join together against injustice.”

Governor Moore’s executive order follows his call to better address fraud and exploitation of immigrant Marylanders during his State of the State address earlier this year.  

Through this task force, State agencies will work in coordination with the Office of the Attorney General, the Comptroller’s Office, and other partners to identify challenges facing immigrant Marylanders, particularly in the areas of legal services scams, workplace rights, housing, consumer, and civil rights, and to implement strategies to strengthen outreach, education, enforcement, and coordination. The task force will be chaired by the Governor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA).  

“Maryland’s immigrant communities are an essential part of our state’s economic success and cultural fabric,” said Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman. “Every Marylander deserves to be treated fairly, to understand their rights, and to be protected from fraud and exploitation. This task force will strengthen coordination across state agencies, expand access to information and resources, and help ensure that immigrant families can live, work, and contribute to our communities without fear.” 

“Immigrant communities are particularly vulnerable to wage theft, housing scams, and workplace abuse in the current political climate,” said Attorney General Brown. “This Task Force brings State government together to ensure immigrant Marylanders have access to the services they need, protection they deserve, and the rights they are owed.”

The task force would be the first of its kind at the state level and particularly timely in light of rising urgency in Maryland and nationally about new, increasingly sophisticated scams targeting immigrants by bad actors who believe that they can take advantage of or discriminate against immigrants with little to no risk.

The ‘Creation of the Maryland Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force’ executive order will focus on a number of issues including: 

• Establishing a Maryland Immigrant Rights Protection Task Force ("Task Force") to address fraud and exploitation of immigrant Marylanders.
• Directing the Governor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Comptroller, to administer the task force.
• Directing the Task Force to engage stakeholders to assess common barriers and challenges that immigrant Marylanders face in enforcing their rights under State and local law in the workplace, as consumers, as tenants, and as taxpayers, as well as rights as victims and witnesses of crime.
• Directing the Task Force to identify and recommend strategies to strengthen: Multilingual outreach and rights education for immigrant communities; Investigations and enforcement under State and local anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation laws involving non-citizen victims and witnesses; Coordination among State and local agencies, including criminal law enforcement when appropriate; Referrals to legal services, mediation, and other strategies to expand access to justice. 

To date, task force members include representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, Office of the Comptroller, Maryland Department of Labor, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Budget and Management, the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy, the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, as well as the Office of Bar Counsel, and the Office of the State Prosecutor.  

The signing of this executive order builds off of Governor Moore’s work to protect and support Maryland’s immigrant community. Earlier this year, Governor Moore signed legislation to establish schools and hospitals as safe spaces and prohibit State and local jurisdictions from deputizing officers for federal civil immigration enforcement activity. Additionally, in February, Governor Moore sent a letter to the then-Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem outlining his concerns with the department’s purchase and planned development and operation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention warehouse near Williamsport. He convened a roundtable with two dozen faith leaders, local officials and business owners, and representatives of nonprofit organizations to hear their perspectives on the Trump Administration’s purchase and planned development of the property. 

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