A public hearing on two bills aimed at hindering Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Maine drew dozens of in-person testimonies and hundreds of written testimonies on Thursday in the Judiciary Committee.
[RELATED: Democrats Opposed to Immigration Enforcement Put Forward Bill to Stop Local Police from Aiding Feds…]
The Judiciary Committee held a joint hearing for Rep. Deqa Dhalac’s (D-South Portland) LD 1971 and Rep. Ambureen Rana’s (D-Bangor) LD 1259.
Both bills aim to severely limit the ability of local police departments to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement authorities. Though both bills aim at the same thing, Rep. Dhalac’s is wider-ranging and includes a much longer list of prohibited activities.
Some of LD 1971’s provisions even appear to violate the basic principles of federalism by instructing state and local authorities to hinder the federal government’s ability to enforce federal law.
For example, under the bill, local law enforcement would be forbidden from complying with federal immigration hold requests, putting them at odds with federal authority.
The Maine State Police expressed concern that the two bills could harm public safety, infringe on federal jurisdiction, and potentially lead to a loss of federal funds for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
“Effective communication ensures that officers across different jurisdictions can coordinate their actions, share vital information and collaborate to address public safety issues, such as investigations, real time emergencies, or criminal activity that spans multiple jurisdictions,” said Major Lucas Hare, on behalf or the Maine State Police.
“These proposed bills would severely hamper communication between local, county, and state law enforcement and our federal partners who are now, or may be in the future, tasked with immigration enforcement duties,” he added.
All members of the Maine Sheriffs’ Association voted unanimously to oppose the bills, citing similar reasons to those expressed by the state police and raising concerns about the bills’ legality.
“As sheriffs, we cannot and should not be forced to pick and choose which state and federal laws to enforce. Nor should we be forced to not cooperate with our federal law enforcement partners. State and local police have no business in unilaterally enforcing immigration law, but standing in the way of immigration enforcement without some constitutional right to do so is wrong,” said the Sheriffs’ Association.
A few other organizations and everyday Mainers joined the police department in opposition to the anti-ICE bills.
“This bill is designed to harbor/hide the status of illegal aliens. Why would sane, legal
Maine residents ever support this bill? We should support local law enforcement cooperation with ICE, not make it illegal,” said Jeremy Nichols of Milo.
Despite some dissenting voices, the majority of testimony, both in person and written, was in support of the bills that could put Maine in violation of federal law on yet another issue.
Rep. Grayson Lookner (D-Portland) joined the bill’s sponsors, testifying in support and suggesting that deporting illegal immigrants is a form of genocide.
“The Oxford Handbook on Genocide Studies identifies mass deportations as a key tool of ethnic cleansing. When local police become entangled in federal immigration enforcement, it erodes trust, fuels racial profiling, and normalizes the surveillance and removal of vulnerable people. History will judge us—not on budgetary considerations, but on whether we stood by as Mainers were targeted for deportation, or whether we said: Not with our resources. Not in our name,” declared Rep. Lookner.
Portland City Councillor Pious Ali also voiced his support for the anti-ICE measures.
“In a time when worker shortages are among the most urgent economic challenges we face, we cannot afford to alienate those who are helping to close that gap. Protecting immigrant workers is not just a moral imperative it is an economic necessity. I respectfully urge the committee to support LD 1971 and demonstrate that Maine will stand up for fairness, public safety, and economic resilience,” he said.
Numerous everyday Mainers voiced their support, many of them utilizing pre-written templates, suggested they were part of an organized campaign.
“My name is (insert name & town you live in) [sic] and am a member of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland where social justice issues are extremely important,” said Dorette Amell of Portland.
“The actions that ICE has been taking over the last months are unconstitutional because they deny due process to people who are living in our country. Having our local police forcibly remove people off the street from schools or healthcare facilities would break the trust that is essential to their ability to keep us safe,” she added.
The controversial bills have not yet been scheduled for work sessions, and they are sure to face a difficult path to passage, with likely opposition from Republicans and some possible opposition from any Democrats who may be concerned that the state could lose more federal funds for violating federal immigration law or be passing laws that will later be invalidated in court.
