The Montgomery County Council is considering making a change to local law in order to expand protections for certain undocumented immigrants in Maryland.

The Montgomery County Council has approved legislation designed to cut into the county’s office vacancy rate.

In Wheaton, Maryland, county and state lawmakers gathered at the site on Veirs Mill Road where a 59-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle as she was crossing the street in January. They hope to bring attention to the rising number of pedestrian deaths taking place in the region.

For months, Hameedullah Rokhan fought alongside NATO troops in Afghanistan, trying to keep the Taliban at bay. As the war-torn country’s government started to collapse, he fled his homeland.

Rokhan finally received a visa for refugees and moved his family to Montgomery County, Maryland.

He was a guest speaker at a rally Thursday to support Afghan refugees and families like his.