5 Md. lawmakers ask U.S. to let Baltimore teachers stay

Five members of Maryland’s congressional delegation are asking the U.S. secretary of labor to take action now that the visas of 25 Baltimore teachers are set to expire this month. In a Thursday letter, Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with Reps. Elijah E. Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes, all Democrats, urged Secretary Alexander Acosta to reconsider an audit process they say will result in the loss of dedicated, longtime educators. Most of the teachers with expiring visas came from the Philippines as part of a large-scale recruitment effort by the district in the mid-2000s. They were brought here to fill empty math, science and special education positions. The teachers are here on H-1B visas, which allow employers to hire foreign workers for “specialty occupations” for which there is a shortage of skilled Americans. The visas allow recipients to stay for three years, with the possibility of extensions. These teachers have been in the United States for eight to 12 years, according to the letter. District officials applied in 2013 for certifications that would allow the teachers to work permanently in the United States, according to the letter, but they were denied. Without a decision by June 30, the lawmakers wrote, “these 25 individuals who have dutifully served Baltimore students for a decade will be forced to leave the community they now call home due to expired H-1B visas.” District officials say these teachers are leaders in their schools and have made their lives in Baltimore. A Department of Labor spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.

Hettleman reports case of anti-Semitic abuse

Maryland Del. Shelly Hettleman said a man yelled “Heil Hitler!” at her from his car while she was campaigning in Baltimore County on Monday. Hettleman, a Democrat from Baltimore County, said the incident happened about 7:30 a.m. across from Green Spring Station shopping center. Amanstopped his car about five feet from her, stuck his head out the window and shouted “Heil Hitler! You don’t represent us!” along with several expletives, she said. “He screamed with an anger that was so palpable on a scale of 0 to 100, he started with 100,” she said. Hettleman, who is Jewish, stood stunned with her husband, Jeff Hettleman, and campaign manager Matt Peterson. Peterson, 24, called it “surreal” and the first time he had experienced anti- Semitism first-hand as a Jewish person growing up in Baltimore County. Hettleman said the driver, who was white and in his 30s or 40s, drove away and didn’t return. She wrote about her experience for the Jewish publication JMore, reported it to the Baltimore Jewish Council and plans to report it to the Baltimore County Police, though she and others were too shocked to take down a license plate number, she said. A police spokesman said the incident would be reported to the Maryland State Police.