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Maryland
Maryland leads the nation for rate of migrant children
:format(url)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/baltimorebanner/MVTYU3EZMNCSJKR7KMZCMFHYXQ.png?ssl=1 "Maryland leads the nation for rate of migrant children")
Two Maryland ZIP codes are among the most common destinations in the United States for migrant children
Thousands of migrant children are coming to Maryland every year. One ZIP code in Southeast Baltimore saw an influx of nearly 1,800 migrant children from 2015 to 2023, among the most in the country over that time.
ZIP code 21224, home to parts of Canton, Brewers Hill and Greektown, saw more children from other countries — most of them in South America — than all but 13 other ZIP codes in the United States.
And it wasn’t even atop the list in Maryland.
Another ZIP code, this one in Prince George’s County, ranked No. 2 in the nation. Across Maryland, tens of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children have arrived since 2015. They often end up in homes with distant relatives, or even strangers.
It’s part of a surge over the last few years that thrust Maryland into the center of a national crisis surrounding migrant children. Between January 2015 and May 2023, more than 30,000 unaccompanied migrant children were placed in Maryland. That’s 49 children per 10,000 state residents.
No other state was even close.
Washington, D.C., was a distant second with 35 migrant children per 10,000 residents.
Maryland saw a surge in these migrant children in 2021, along with much of the nation, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, obtained last year by The New York Times. HHS is responsible for placing migrant children with adult sponsors.
Sometimes, the children are reunited with their parents. But more and more of the migrant children coming to Maryland are placed with someone other than their mother or father. Often that means an aunt, uncle or other family member, the data shows. But sometimes it can be more distant relatives, or even a complete stranger.
In 2015, more than two-thirds of the children who came to Maryland were placed with their parents. By 2023, that number had plummeted to 37%.
Like the nation as a whole, the vast majority of the children come to Maryland from one of three countries: Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Prior to the pandemic, more children came to Maryland from El Salvador, but since 2020, the number of children from Guatemala and Honduras has caught up. Now, more children come from Guatemala than any other country.
The children coming from Guatemala are much more likely to be placed with someone other than a parent. Just 41% of those children ended up with their parents, compared to 51% for Honduran children and 55% for those from El Salvador.
Within Maryland, Prince George’s County — the second-largest county by population in the state — saw by far the most unaccompanied migrant children. Nearly 10,000 such children, around one-third of the state’s total, wound up in Prince George’s County.
More than 3,200 children were sent to ZIP code 20783, near Adelphi, just outside of Washington, D.C. That’s the second-highest total for any ZIP code in the nation, second only to a part of Houston, Texas. About 60% of the people who live in 20783 are foreign-born, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. It is among the ZIP codes with the highest percentage of foreign-born residents in the nation.
It’s not the only hot spot in Maryland. Another ZIP code, 21649 in eastern Maryland along the Delaware border, home to the small cities of Marydel and Templeville, was sixth in the nation for migrant children per capita. That ZIP code was home to just 2,200 people in 2022. It saw an influx of 137 migrant children over an eight-year period, a substantial increase for an area of that size.
In Anne Arundel County, the top ZIP code is 21225, which spans both Brooklyn Park in Anne Arundel and parts of south Baltimore City. About 61% of the population in that ZIP code lives in Anne Arundel. In Baltimore County, it was 21222 in Dundalk. In Howard County, it was 21045 in Columbia.
Maryland’s population has been essentially flat since 2020. The state would have lost people if not for international migration, according to Census data. The state has only added 3,000 people since the decennial census, but nearly 100,000 people have moved away to other states. International migration has offset those losses substantially, likely including many of the 15,000 migrant children who have moved here since 2020.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
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Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
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