The Golden Door: June 2020 Special Edition
Legal and Policy Issues
We are closely monitoring state and federal immigration law and policy. Please check our social media accounts for more frequent updates.
To our ILAP community,
This week, ILAP joined advocates and activists across the country to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Since the administration began its attacks on DACA in 2017, "Dreamers" and undocumented people across the country have led actions to defend it and called for legislative solutions that provide permanent legal status for everyone who has established their lives and families in the United States.
We are inspired by their leadership and proud to stand alongside them as we celebrate this hard-won victory and pledge to continue the fight. We will share more on the DACA decision and what it means for Maine communities in the next issue of the Golden Door.
At the same time, we recognize the work that needs to be done to dismantle hundreds of years of oppression in this country. ILAP grieves and is outraged by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and the many other Black people in this country who have been killed by anti-Black violence. We stand with Black leaders in Maine and nationally to demand policies that dismantle white supremacy.
Here in Maine, that means holding our elected officials accountable and calling on them to address the systemic racism in our policies and institutions. Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition and the Maine Black Caucus, among others, have made clear that the state has not done enough to address the staggering racial disparities in COVID-19 infection. State officials must take action now.
As always, thank you for your partnership in helping to build a more just and equitable future for our communities.
Demand Permanent Status for Everyone Who Has Established Their Lives in the US
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold DACA is undoubtedly an historic win.
Yet, the Court's decision, while safeguarding Dreamers' futures for now, does not move the country toward a permanent solution. UndocuBlack Network (UBN), a multigenerational network of currently and formerly undocumented Black people, recently called for a legislative solution to permanently protect the lives of immigrant families. The UBN says that the Senate, "continues to gamble with our lives by not passing the Dream and Promise Act."
The Dream and Promise Act, H.R. 6 establishes a path to citizenship for immigrant youth and current or potential holders of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). The Act was passed in the House a year ago, but has not been approved by the Senate. We must hold Congress accountable for the systemic racism ingrained in our immigration laws and continue to advocate for permanent legislative protections and solutions.
Take action!
Join us in amplifying the UBN’s call for justice. Take 5 minutes today to call Maine’s Senators to advocate for the passage of the Dream and Promise Act:
Senator Collins:
📞 (202) 224-2523
Senator King:
📞 (202) 224-5344
Stark COVID-19 Racial Inequities Increase
Black Mainers are under threat - from police, immigration authorities, racist policies, and, increasingly, from the COVID-19 pandemic. Black residents make up more than 25% of COVID-19 cases in Maine while representing only 1% of the state’s total population. Maine’s COVID-19 racial disparity has only grown since the outbreak and is now one of the worst in the nation, laying bare the underlying systemic racism governing our state.
Maine’s Black and immigrant communities have been demanding action for months and have been met with slow responses from government agencies or inaction, while creating their own community-led solutions like this one in Lewiston.
ILAP recently signed on to a letter from the Maine Black Caucus that calls for the appointment of someone from Maine's indigenous Black community to the Economic Recovery Committee. This committee was created in response to the COVID-19 crisis and currently does not have indigenous Black representation, despite the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on Black communities.
Black voices have been historically underrepresented and often intentionally silenced. Elevating their voices is the necessary first step in centering and protecting the lives of Maine's communities of color.
New Race Equity Commission Calls on Governor to Address Systemic Racism
The recently created “Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Maine Tribal Populations," chaired by State Representative Rachel Talbot Ross, sent their recommendations for addressing Maine's systemic racism to Governor Mills this week.
The Commission's letter asks the state to take immediate steps to address racial inequity, while calling for "a long-term commitment to learning, investigating and most importantly, listening to impacted communities." Its initial recommendations are:
Provide emergency CARES Act funding and technical assistance to Black, indigenous and people of color.
Support LD 2094 - An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act.
Empower the Commission with the resources needed to be most effective.
Direct State agencies to collect, examine, monitor and communicate data, which illustrate the status of Maine’s racial, indigenous and tribal populations.
Support a ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ process conducted by this Commission and the Maine Human Rights Commission.