What’s happening?
Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. has appointed tapped Giuliana Valencia-Banks as the county’s first immigration affairs coordinator to support the 106,000 immigrant residents (that’s one out of every eight county residents) currently living in the county.
Up until this point, they’ve had to look for resources in other jurisdictions.
What are Valencia-Bank’s plans for this role?
She plans to hold roundtables with local organizations to get a better sense of residents’ needs, utilize Spanish-speaking media outlets to share information—especially related to COVID-19, make county programs more accessible for non-English speakers, and promote economic mobility for immigrant residents, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Anything else I should know?
Previously, Valencia-Banks formerly worked at the Esperanza Center, a Baltimore city-based program that offers free legal services and health care to immigrants. She’s originally from Peru and moved to the U.S. when she was 6 years old.
You can read more here.
