Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) will avoid making a decision on the controversial sanctuary state bill that passed through the legislature, according to her spokesman Ben Goodman on Tuesday, pushing the decision to the start of next legislative session.
[RELATED: Maine to Become Sanctuary State for Illegal Alien Criminals Under Bill Heading to Janet Mills’ Desk…]
Goodman told the Bangor Daily News that Gov. Mills had concerns with the current state of Rep. Deqa Dhalac’s (D-South Portland) LD 1971. That bill would essentially turn Maine into a sanctuary state by dramatically restricting local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to Goodman, Mills is concerned that the bill is “overly broad and confusing, as it establishes a complicated legal regime of the type of interactions that are or are not permitted with federal law enforcement.”
The bill, if signed into law, would likely bring even more legal troubles for Maine on top of Mills’ fight to keep boys in girls’ sports, as the Trump Administration cracks down on sanctuary policies that impede the enforcement of federal law.
Instead of deciding to veto the bill, and angering progressive voters and Democrats in the state legislature, or letting the bill become law and increasing the state’s legal troubles, Mills decided to postpone the decision.
She is now required to make a decision on the bill within three days of the start of the next legislative session in January of next year. Until then, local law enforcement will be able to coordinate with ICE to aid in immigration enforcement activities without the bill’s constraints.
