Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Montgomery County is hosting a clinic with Gov. Wes Moore’s office, among other groups, to help immigrants learn if they are eligible for citizenship and how to move forward with the process.

The event, which will be held from 2-6 p.m. on April 11 at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center, will allow documented immigrants to meet with lawyers who can provide personalized advice.

Council President Natali Fani-González, an immigrant herself, told reporters at a briefing on Monday that she wants to help smooth the path to citizenship for county residents who need guidance. She said that she was fortunate to have a lawyer friend who could help her, but that not everyone has that kind of resource.

“With everything going on at the national level, even people who have a green card, they feel very anxious and nervous,” Fani-González said.

Participants must be at least 18 years old, live in Montgomery County and have held lawful permanent resident status for at least five years, or three years if married to a U.S. citizen. Event organizers will not help fill out citizenship applications, but eligible participants can attend a follow-up event on May 2.

Those interested in attending are required to preregister online, as space is limited.

Candidate’s complaint against forum organizer escalates

The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing a complaint from Democratic county executive candidate Peter James, who alleges that NPR affiliate WAMU 88.5 violated FCC law by not including him and other candidates in a March 13 forum.

James argued in his FCC complaint that WAMU’s requirements for participants are a “violation of equal time” rules that apply to radio and television stations.

An FCC attorney sent an email to WAMU following James’ March 16 complaint requesting they file a response by April 14.

WAMU did not immediately respond to a request for comment .

James initially filed a complaint with the IRS against WAMU alleging that the nonprofit newsroom violated that agency’s political statutes because it did not include him in the forum. Another excluded candidate, Mithun Banerjee, is suing WAMU in Montgomery County Circuit Court for “economic, mental and non-economic damages.”

In response to James’ IRS complaint, WAMU provided The Banner with a list of criteria for candidates to be included in their forum.

Candidates were required to have formally filed as Democrats by the Feb. 24 deadline, “maintain an active campaign website, and have raised at least $80,000 in contributions from sources outside the candidate or their immediate family.”

Greater Greater Washington releases council endorsements

Greater Greater Washington, a nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing and transit access and safety, has released its endorsements in the Montgomery County Council race.

The organization endorsed Drew Morrison for District 1, Jud Ashman for District 3, incumbent Kate Stewart for District 4, Natali Fani-González for District 6 and Dawn Luedtke for District 7. In the at-large race, it endorsed Scott Goldberg, Karla Silvestre, Jim McNulty and incumbent Laurie-Anne Sayles.

“As homebuilding in the county stalls, we were especially interested in candidates with the record or the know-how to get it back on track,” the endorsement said.

According to the release, rent stabilization factored significantly into endorsement conversations, and Greater Greater Washington assembled a committee whose members held varying views on the issue to make their recommendations.

“Rent stabilization is an important consumer protection, ensuring that renters can choose to stay in their homes while holding landlords accountable,” the statement said. “But it’s not a long-term solution: only reducing barriers to housing production can fundamentally lower prices and give people more and better choices in where to live.”

Greater Greater Washington did not make endorsements in the District 2 and 5 races, the group explained, because District 2 council member Marilyn Balcombe is running unopposed and declined to complete the organization’s questionnaire. In District 5, incumbent Kristin Mink and challenger Charles Kirchman did not respond.

The organization has been influential in its support for increasing housing density as well as access to affordable housing near transit hubs. It endorsed Andrew Friedson for county executive in February.