ILAP Community Update: April 17
April 17, 2025
Dear Community,
We are sending our Community Update a day early because today is Access to Justice Day in Maine!
ILAP and other civil legal aid providers in the state are testifying in front of the Maine state legislature today to call on them to sustain and increase funding for civil legal aid to avoid a funding cliff and ensure that everyone in Maine, regardless of income, can access the legal help they need to stand up for their rights.
In the U.S. immigration system, no one is guaranteed an attorney—not even children, or those facing detention, family separation, or deportation to potentially life-threatening situations. On top of that, there are not nearly enough immigration attorneys here in Maine or across the country for all the people who need them.
In her testimony today, ILAP’s Executive Director, Sue Roche, will remind Maine’s lawmakers of the stakes:
“Losing this funding could not come at a worse time, when immigrant communities in Maine and throughout the country are the target of a mass deportation and detention campaign, when lawful paths to legal status are being eliminated, and when due process and the rule of law are being eroded. Even here in Maine, we have seen ICE arresting and detaining unaccompanied children, those with no criminal history, and those with pending cases. If ILAP is not here to defend their rights, no one will be. We need more capacity and not less. Without legal representation, thousands of Mainers could be ripped from their homes and our workforce to be detained and deported without ever understanding their legal rights or having the opportunity to apply for status that they are legally qualified for.”
CALLS TO ACTION
Check out these two important actions you can take today to protect access to legal help for immigrants here in Maine and across the country:
1. Advocate for civil legal aid in honor of Access to Justice Day
Right now, Maine legislators are working on the state's biennial budget. We need to urge lawmakers to convert funding for civil legal aid that will expire this summer into ongoing funding to avoid significant cuts to legal services.
Join ILAP in supporting LD 1022 to expand access to justice in Maine!
2. Call on Maine’s senators to support the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2025
One of the many ways the Trump administration is eroding access to justice in the immigration legal system is cutting federal funding for attorneys for unaccompanied immigrant children. Immigration judges are nearly 100 times less likely to grant relief to unaccompanied children without counsel compared to those with counsel.
In a bipartisan letter, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff have called on the administration to restore this crucial funding, affecting 26,000 vulnerable kids.
A key bill has been re-introduced in the Senate that would require the government to provide attorneys to unaccompanied immigrant children throughout the duration of their case and to ensure kids are informed of their rights within 72 hours of entering federal custody.
Call on Maine’s Senators to support this bill today!
Your voice matters - thank you for stepping up to make a difference.
You can find contact information for your elected officials and more advocacy resources here!
Immigration Law & Policy Updates
ILAP is committed to helping our community make sense of immigration news and its impact. Below is a summary of some key developments from the past week, as of April 17, 2025.
PLEASE NOTE: All updates are subject to rapid change.
Immigration Announcement:
Rumeysa Öztürk, Tufts student taken by ICE in retaliation for co-authoring an op-ed, speaks out from ICE detention
What It Means:What It Means:
Rumeysa Öztürk, a Tufts student who was arrested by ICE after co-authoring an op-ed, has shared information about her condition in ICE detention in Louisiana.
In her declaration, Rumeysa describes details about her arrest, including how she was shackled and feared she would be killed.
Rumeysa says the detention center is “unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane.” Her asthma is not adequately treated, and she had her hijab removed against her will.
Read more of Rumeysa’s words here.
Merwil Gutiérrez,19-year-old, among those disappeared to notorious Salvadoran prison
In a continuing abuse of power, the Trump administration is using the Alien Enemies Act to forcefully remove people from the United States - without justifiable cause or legal process.
19-year-old, Merwil Gutiérrez, was among those taken to a notorious prison in El Salvador, along with more than 230 other men. Merwil had permission to enter the United States to seek asylum. Like 75% of the men sent to El Salvador, he has no criminal record.
Merwil’s cousin witnessed ICE taking him and heard one ICE agent say, “‘No, he’s not the one,' like they were looking for someone else. But the other said, 'Take him anyway.'”
The Trump administration has been ordered by the Supreme Court to facilitate the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia who was wrongly sent to the same Salvadoran prison. So far, the administration has not taken steps to do so.
Advocates from across the country released a joint press statement following Salvadoran President Bukele’s visit to the White House this week, continuing to call for “the immediate release and safe return of the over 270 people the U.S. government has disappeared to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison.”
Judge temporarily halts Trump administration’s termination of Cuba Haiti Nicaragua Venezuela (CHNV) parole program
On March 25, the Trump administration terminated parole and work permits for current beneficiaries of the CHNV parole program, impacting approximately 500,000 people. CHNV beneficiaries and their U.S. sponsors quickly filed a lawsuit to challenge.
Last week, a federal district judge ruled to temporarily halt the termination of the program.
Human Rights First, one of the organizations that brought the lawsuit, described the longstanding history and bipartisan use of parole programs: “For more than 70 years, Republican and Democratic administrations alike have established parole processes to advance important American interests, including promoting family unification, advancing urgent humanitarian interests, and enhancing migration management.” Read their full press release here.
Department of Homeland Security’s registration rule is now in effect
Last Friday, the Trump administration began implementing a new registration rule, requiring many noncitizens who have previously not had any contact with the U.S. government to provide their personal information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The rule also requires people to carry certain documentation with them to show that they’re registered. The administration is threatening those who don’t comply with potential fines and jail time.
The National Immigrant Justice Center issued a press release making clear, “The new registration requirement is not just a bureaucratic procedural rule but an alarming new surveillance and enforcement tool that could drastically alter the rights of our communities across the United States.”
ILAP recommends that anyone who is not considered registered and subject to this rule speak with a qualified immigration attorney before taking any action. Check out this Know Your Rights resource on the registration rule to learn more.
Trump administration’s closure of Department of Homeland Security oversight offices leaves people and lawyers without tools to counter civil rights violations
In late March, the administration shut down three offices in the Department of Homeland (DHS) Security responsible for oversight, including the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL).
New reporting describes the critical work CRCL did, including processing complaints regarding “disabled detainees being unable to access medical care to abuses of power at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and reports of rape at its detention centers.”
Additional reporting shows the funding for CRCL is now being used to fund an anti-immigrant ad campaign.
For previous updates from ILAP, check out the links below:
April 11, 2025: Community Update
April 4, 2025: Community Update
March 28, 2025: March Golden Door
Know Your Rights
An important step you can take now to protect yourself is to learn your rights! See ILAP’s resources here.
Stay Connected:
Follow ILAP @ilapmaine on social media for the latest updates:
Members of the Maine Bar can support ILAP’s work by donating to the Campaign for Justice, a special collaborative fundraising effort by Maine’s legal community to support legal aid.
