The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, (ILAP), respectfully submits the following comments regarding the USCIS Interim Final Rule (IFR), Removal of the Automatic Extension of Employment Authorization Documents, DHS Docket No. USCIS-2025-0271. ILAP recommends this IFR – which has no legitimate underlying public policy rationale – be immediately withdrawn in its entirety and the previous final rule granting 540-day automatic extensions of certain work permits be restored.
Read MoreMaine – On October 30, the federal administration announced the end of a policy that had automatically extended certain work permits. These automatic extensions were necessary to ensure that workers and businesses were not punished when processing delays at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services resulted in workers not getting their new work permit in time before their previous work permit expired.
Read MoreHere is an update on recent state and federal activities impacting the lives of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Maine.
Read MoreILAP enthusiastically applauds Wells Democracy in Action and other Wells residents for their tireless, community-centered advocacy, successfully ending the 287(g) ICE agreement put in place by the Wells Police Department last April. This victory is critical to protecting the rights and safety of Well’s immigrant residents and the community as a whole.
Read MoreHere is an update on recent state and federal activities impacting the lives of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Maine.
Read MoreThe Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project’s (ILAP) executive director, Sue Roche, issued this statement on Pingree’s Sept. 22 oversight letter regarding the Scarborough ICE facility.
“ILAP clients have been denied their right to have their attorneys join them at appointments at the ICE Scarborough facility multiple times over the past months. These have included check-in appointments for people who are in immigration court proceedings," Roche wrote. "In the current environment, with the federal government flagrantly disregarding due process and attempting to indiscriminately deport as many people as they can, having your attorney by your side during any ICE appointment is beyond critical."
Read MoreSue Roche, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, a nonprofit that provides legal assistance to immigrants, said attorneys in Maine have been rebuffed on “multiple occasions over the past months” when trying to join clients at their routine appointments, including clients with active immigration cases.
“In the current environment, with the federal government flagrantly disregarding due process and attempting to indiscriminately deport as many people as they can, having your attorney by your side during any ICE appointment is beyond critical,” Roche said in a written statement.
Read MorePolicy Director Lisa Parisio discusses President Biden's plan to severely limit access to asylum and its potential for harmful impacts on "In the current environment, with the federal government flagrantly disregarding due process and attempting to indiscriminately deport as many people as they can, having your attorney by your side during any ICE appointment is beyond critical," said ILAP Executive Director Sue Roche.
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