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Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates urge Maine lawmakers to bar police cooperation with ICE
May 19—Immigrants rights advocates urged Maine lawmakers Monday to restrict the ability of police departments to work with federal immigration authorities. One proposal before the Legislature would prohibit agencies or officers from entering into contracts to partner with federal immigration authorities. A second would prohibit police from stopping, arresting or detaining a person solely for immigration enforcement reasons. The proposals come as the Department of Homeland Security is working to expand the number of partnership contracts with local law enforcement agencies nationwide in order to carry out the mass deportations President Donald Trump promised throughout his campaign. Wells is currently the only municipality in Maine participating in the 287(g) Program, according to an ICE database, and the southern Maine town has faced pushback for agreeing to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Lawmakers on Monday held a public hearing on LD 1259, from Rep. Ambureen Rana, D-Bangor, which would prevent state and local agencies from entering into 287(g) Program agreements like the one Wells has. "I am very concerned by the recent push to encourage local law enforcement agencies to enter into 287(g) with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," Pamela Proulx-Curry, executive director of the Maine MultiCultural Center in Brewer, said in written testimony supporting LD 1259. "Such agreements make our communities more unsafe, not less." Six states — California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington — have laws or policies that prohibit such agreements, according to ICE. On the other hand, a number of states, such as Georgia and Florida, have passed or are considering legislation requiring law enforcement to seek out or enter into partnerships with ICE under the 287(g) program. Proulx-Curry said the program turns routine encounters with police into opportunities for deportation, creating fear among immigrants and making them less likely to contact police if they witness or are a victim of a crime. "When people don't trust police, they're less likely to report domestic violence, fraud or unsafe working conditions — issues that affect everyone in a community, not just immigrants," she wrote. The Greater Bangor Area Branch NAACP also submitted testimony in support of the bill, testifying that if state and local law enforcement coordinate with immigration authorities it would have a "chilling effect" on immigrant communities and could drain local resources. "As has been documented nationally and within Maine, ICE and (Customs and Border Protection) have been especially targeting communities of color in their actions," wrote branch President Athena Bryce. "This is a civil rights concern for all the people in Maine." The Maine County Commissioners Association, which represents county governments across the state, submitted testimony opposing the bill, saying public safety is a local issue and that local governments should have the flexibility to enter into agreements and partnerships they believe are best for their communities. The bill could also jeopardize federal funds that county jails receive for detaining individuals who are believed to have violated federal law, including immigration laws, according to written testimony from the commission. "If a local law enforcement agency is asked to engage in behavior that is not consistent with the law, whether related to immigration or some other activity, those local agencies already have in place the tools and responsibility to refuse such requests," wrote Stephen Gordon and Jean-Marie Caterina, co-chairs of the association's Legislative Policy Committee. "A blanket state law forbidding cooperation would be unwise, and unwarranted." Rana said the agreements are not needed for local law enforcement to be able to do their jobs or for immigration officials to do their jobs in Maine. She also said the agreements are detrimental to taxpayers. "The bottom line is, a 287(g) agreement requires that we are using our local taxpayer money to do the job of federal immigration enforcement," she said. "Our resources are already limited, both at the state level and at municipalities ... and we should be using our local taxpayer money to care for our residents." Michael Kebede, policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, cited several examples of communities from other states that have had to raise property taxes or draw from rainy day funds to implement multi-million dollar 287(g) programs, in testimony Monday. But Ken Mason, sheriff of Kennebec County and chair of the Maine Sheriffs Association Legislative Policy Committee, said members of the sheriffs association are in unanimous opposition to LD 1259. "As sheriffs, we cannot and should not be forced to pick and choose which state and federal laws to enforce," Mason said. Asked about the financial impact, Mason said his agency and others around the state participate in a federal grant program called Operation Stonegarden that is focused on border security and that has been financially beneficial, helping them buy equipment and pay for additional work. He said he couldn't say for sure if that program would be affected by LD 1259. "It's not specific to immigration," he said. "It's just 'Do your regular thing.'" A second bill, LD 1971, from Rep. Deqa Dhalac, D-South Portland, would prohibit law enforcement from stopping, arresting or detaining a person solely for immigration enforcement reasons. It would also require inmates to be informed of their rights prior to being interviewed by immigration authorities, and it would prohibit law enforcement from determining an inmate's custody status based on their immigration status. "(This bill) ensures that local and state law enforcement agencies can focus on their primary mission, which is safeguarding our communities and upholding state law," Dhalac said. Rana said she sees the two bills as complementary. "I do believe the bills work hand-in-hand," she said. "They don't compete. I do believe they address different issues and need to be implemented hand-in-hand to offer the most protections in our state." Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Proposal would exempt minors from reporting gender identity, sexual orientation on health forms
(Photo by Getty Images) Last year, Maine lawmakers passed a law requiring health care providers to collect and record data on the sexual orientation and gender identity of their patients, which proponents said would help providers improve their quality of care. This year, a legislator is seeking to modify that requirement so that it no longer applies to minors. Bill sponsor Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor) and medical experts said Monday that the change would grant health care providers more flexibility when it comes to how and when to discuss concerns or issues related to sexual or gender identity with young people, understanding that these conversations may impact their physical or mental health. The bill (LD 1945) would also remove the stipulation that providers collect this data from all patients during each doctor's visit — a provision that means these conversations are being forced, rather than letting providers assess the best times to ask these questions, Rana said. The rule change is supported by the Maine Medical Association and the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. During a public hearing before the Maine Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee, the health associations both said that the new law allowed people, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community, to discuss their own identity, rather than have providers make assumptions. However, they believe collecting that information on every visit is unnecessary, particularly for minors who may not be ready to talk about those topics. The new bill comes as scrutiny of transgender people, particularly students, is increasing nationwide and in Maine, while some Republican lawmakers are seeking to roll back affirming gender identity protections, including gender affirming care. Protecting the privacy and safety of minors is an important goal of the proposed bill, said Madeleine DesFosses, advocacy and public health manager of the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. 'Requiring health care providers to collect information through an intake form related to gender identity and sexuality for a minor may put them in an uncomfortable or confusing position,' she said. 'A minor may not feel comfortable or safe disclosing their gender or sexual identity in a healthcare setting. In addition, data may be skewed if a minor doesn't feel they can be truthful about their gender identity or sexuality in this kind of setting.' Under current law, anyone can decline to share this information, which the bill does not aim to change. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Landlords, advocates split over bill barring discrimination against renters on public assistance
Rep. Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell) called source-of-income discrimination 'an urgent injustice.' (Photo by Getty Images) Mainers receiving public assistance can often wait years for an apartment to open up. In an effort to alleviate that backlog and address what many see as economic discrimination in Maine's housing sector, lawmakers are considering a bill that would prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to tenants solely because they rely on programs such as general assistance or housing vouchers. Supporters say it's a crucial step to prevent income discrimination, especially given Maine's lack of affordable housing. Opponents of the bill, however, said the issue is not about discrimination, but about whether landlords should be forced to accept additional terms imposed by voucher programs. The bill, LD 1036, was heard by the Legislature's Housing Committee on Tuesday. Sponsor, Rep. Ambureen Rana (D-Bangor) said the wait list for subsidized housing in Maine can range from 14 to 28 months, and in some cases, people wait several years. 'Discrimination should not be an added hindrance on top of price, location, safety and availability,' she said. While Maine law technically already prohibits discrimination against people who use public assistance for housing, advocates say those protections were significantly weakened by a 2014 law court interpretation. Andrea Steward, a policy advocate with Maine Equal Justice, explained during the public hearing Tuesday that the ruling left a loophole. Public assistance cannot be discriminated against as a source of income, but it allows landlords to refuse signing on to the requirements of the program, whether that's a municipality or federal Section 8 requirements, Steward said in her testimony. Because of that legal interpretation, landlords can currently refuse to accept tenants who pay rent using public assistance just because they don't want to sign certain paperwork. This proposal wouldn't prevent landlords from conducting standard tenant screenings, such as calling references, checking eviction records or whether one's general assistance or federal housing voucher would cover the rent, Steward said. 'So it still makes all of those arguments legitimate, that a landlord can look at all of those factors in order to make a determination,' she said. 'They just can't make a blanket statement that says 'You have Section 8. I don't want to sign this document, and so therefore I'm not going to rent to you.'' Rep. Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell), a co-sponsor of the bill, called source-of-income discrimination 'an urgent injustice.' She also shared her own personal experience as a single parent relying on Section 8 housing and general assistance and being denied housing. 'I was often bluntly told, 'Sorry, we don't rent to you people. Give me a call when you stop being lazy,' Golek said. 'Being able to pay rent is life-saving. It should not matter where a person's source of income comes from that they use to pay their rent.' Golek also noted that source-of-income discrimination disproportionately harms marginalized populations, referencing a 2022 study from the Maine State Housing Authority which found that Black Mainers made up 34% of the state's homeless population, despite representing less than 2% of the general population at the time. Dan Bernier, representing the Central Maine Apartment Owners Association, testified against the proposal, saying Maine law already prohibits landlords from treating voucher holders differently than other tenants. 'Maine law is clear. You cannot discriminate,' Bernier said. 'You have to offer housing for somebody holding a voucher on the same terms you would offer to anyone else.' But he said under the current legal interpretation, landlords don't have to accept the terms set by the government agency providing the public assistance, which can include a rent amount. Landlords shouldn't be compelled to agree to any government-imposed conditions that often come with vouchers, such as limits on rent increases, changes to lease terms, or alterations to the eviction process, he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
