“Now I am too scared to go back and return my license plates,” said Romano, who has lived illegally in the United States for 18 years. “I left my job, my apartment, my daughters left their school. Now, here we are in Maryland, starting over again. We don’t know anyone, but it’s safer for the moment. Tomorrow, it might be a different story.”

To Illegal Immigrants, Md. Feeling Less Friendly

Washington Post
Written by P.Constable & L.Rein
March 25, 2008

Public anger against illegal immigrants, already entrenched in parts of Northern Virginia, is seeping into Maryland. With legislators facing unprecedented demands to take action, fears of a crackdown are spreading among illegal immigrants in a state that has been more tolerant of them.

A record 20 bills targeting illegal immigrants have been introduced in the state legislature this session. Although none of the bills is expected to survive, their supporters are far more vocal and organized than in the past, and the movement has gained recent support in Maryland communities that include Mount Rainier, Gaithersburg and Taneytown.

“We have more people than we ever expected getting involved. They are mad, but until now, they didn’t know what to do about it,” said Brad Botwin, a Rockville resident who chairs the activist group Help Save Maryland. “For the first time, the delegates and senators are hearing the majority view on the impact of illegal immigrants on our state.”

HERE ( courtesy of GALEO)