Gov. Wes Moore renewed his promise to push for federal immigration reform Thursday evening in Hyattsville Md. – and he did it in a room packed with migrants and their families, in both English and in Spanish.

“Our state would be incomplete without you,” said Moore. “Now is the time – ahora es el momento – that we are both going to save TPS and strengthen TPS right now.”

The event was held by the Maryland-based advocacy group, CASA, at their multicultural center where Moore met with local elected officials and families living throughout the D.C. region and other parts of Maryland.

His pledge came after several people told Moore how policies like Temporary Protected Status and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals create uncertainty in their lives. Many, including young children, told him how they feared for their parent’s immigration status or how their family members in other countries are suffering from environmental crises like drought.

“We want TPS,” said Maria Brito, who was born in Guatemala, which is not designated for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. “Mr. Governor, I am asking with all of my heart to please take this message to President Biden.”

The meeting was held on the 11th anniversary of DACA, and after the Biden administration announced on Tuesday an expansion of TPS for over 300,000 people around the U.S. In response, immigrant families from the D.C. region countered that although the expansion is a good thing, it’s not enough.

José Coronado-Flores, a DACA recipient born in Guatemala, urged Moore to use his power so that more people like him can pave a future in the U.S.

“Two years after DACA’s announcement and my enrollment in the program, I applied to Harvard University and I received a full scholarship,” said Coronado-Flores. “Today I stand here in solidarity with the TPS campaign, as well as a member of the immigrant community.”

Moore, whose mother is an immigrant from Jamaica, pledged that he would work with elected officials, both on the state and federal level, towards reform. He shared that they will also support Maryland’s immigrant population by providing access to health care and affordable housing, among other programs.

“We know that in this moment, we have a chance to really work together and create a better opportunity and lives for everybody,” Moore told DCist/WAMU.

Del. Ashanti Martinez, who represents District 22 and Prince George’s County, told DCist/WAMU that state legislators are already taking steps to help immigrants, but that he’s ready to work with his partners in Annapolis and beyond.

“We ultimately need a pathway to citizenship for a lot of these folks. TPS is temporary – it’s in the name. We need a permanent solution so that our families can be protected,” said Martinez.

In 2018, the Trump administration moved to cut back on a wide range of TPS programs but was prevented from doing so by a federal immigration court ruling. Later this month, a hearing is scheduled on that case, but the recent move from Biden will likely make the decision moot. Still, some immigrants in Maryland say they feel at risk when it comes to the current and future state of immigration policy.

Marie Meka, a TPS recipient from Cameroon, made the drive from Rockville to meet Moore and share her story with him. She’s lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years and has carved out a community for herself. But she worries that she might not always have solid relief from deportation through TPS – which was extended for 18 months in April of 2022.

“The whole African immigrant in Maryland are the best people in Maryland. And they work hard too, they are good people too. So we need more than two years,” said Meka.