Eathan Strimling, Maine Beacon - As we watch Pres. Donald Trump’s war on immigrants reach into our state with the unexplained arrests of dozens of Maine workers across multiple Maine towns and over 100 unexplained arrests of Maine workers at the Canadian border, it is imperative that our legislature stand up for the tens of thousands of immigrants who live in Maine, work in Maine, raise families in Maine, and build Maine’s economy by passing legislation barring Maine law enforcement from working with ICE – and it’s heartening to see that some are trying to do just that.
Two bills being heard this week are an important step in the fight to stop Maine law enforcement from continuing to use our tax money to join Trump’s raids. LD1259 and LD1971, sponsored by Reps. Ambureen Rana (D) of Brewer and Deqa Dhalac (D) of South Portland, respectively, would limit local communities from entering into contracts with ICE and any federal immigration officials to join in these round ups.