Rep. Melanie Sachs - Back in June, the Legislature passed a bill, LD 1971, to limit local and state police cooperation with federal immigration authorities like ICE.
On Monday, Governor Janet Mills announced that she intends to let this legislation go into law without her signature. She also announced she will repeal an executive order, signed by former Governor Paul LePage, that required state and local law enforcement to contribute to federal immigration enforcement.
We passed LD 1971 in response to the Trump Administration’s continued disregard for the rule of law and due process rights. Over the course of the year, we have witnessed masked federal agents in unmarked cars raid homes, workplaces and places of worship targeting immigrants – most with no criminal records. These raids have torn apart families and created fear in communities across Maine and throughout the country.
This bill will set reasonable guardrails for Maine law enforcement and ensure that local resources are spent on local priorities. To be clear: Local and state police will still be able to work with federal law enforcement to stop crime, including those involved in human trafficking, drug trafficking, and terrorism. But they will not enable Trump’s mass deportation agenda.