PORTLAND, Maine -The Portland City Council and Mayor Mark Dion voted unanimously Monday night to send a letter to Janet Mills (D) urging her to declare a state of emergency and impose a 60-day moratorium on evictions, citing what speakers described as mounting fear and instability tied to increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Maine.
The vote followed a wave of public testimony from residents, service providers and members of the Portland Tenants Union who described families staying home, missing work, and quickly falling behind on rent and basic necessities. Speakers told councilors that requests for emergency food support have surged in recent weeks, with mutual aid groups and community members delivering groceries and supplies to hundreds of families who are afraid to leave their homes.
Several residents urged councilors to back the resolution as a stopgap to keep families from losing housing while the situation intensifies. One speaker who identified as a landlord said they supported the call for a moratorium, warning that tenants who can’t work should not be pushed to the brink of homelessness.
Councilors acknowledged the city can’t order a statewide eviction pause on its own. But multiple members framed the resolution as a pressure play, an appeal to Governor Mills and the state government to intervene quickly, arguing the city’s limited authority doesn’t erase the urgency described in the room.
Not everyone backed the approach without reservations. Councilor Ben Grant and Mayor Dion said they supported the underlying goal but raised concerns about using a statewide emergency declaration for a narrowly targeted purpose, pointing instead to legislative tools such as emergency rental assistance as another pathway for relief. Both ended up voting in favor of the motion.
In a second unanimous vote Monday evening, the council authorized Mayor Dion, on behalf of the council, to participate in litigation related to what the resolution described as the surge in immigration enforcement activity. The measure references litigation in Minneapolis and St. Paul, where the cities and the State of Minnesota have sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection seeking an injunction over what the resolution calls unlawful federal actions under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/docs/00190_DHS_Complaint.pdf
During discussion, council members emphasized the litigation vote was meant to put Portland on record against the enforcement activity described at the meeting and to support court arguments being advanced elsewhere, while making clear the city is trying to use what leverage it has, even if it can’t directly control federal policy or statewide eviction law.
