The Golden Door: May 2026
Dear Community,
This past month, ILAP celebrated the return of CeleSoirée, our annual community gathering event. It was a sold-out room, with 350+ people coming together to connect, learn, and support ILAP’s work and a Maine that is Home For All.
A central theme of the night was that no single organization can meet the needs of Maine’s immigrant communities alone. ILAP’s Board President, Tom Douglas, showcased the work of five partner organizations, who also received a share of the evening’s proceeds. Check them out!
Empowered Immigrant Women Unite!
ILAP’s Executive Director, Sue Roche, shared these words with the room:
“What we have seen in this past year and a half — and especially these past few months — is unimaginable and unacceptable. Immigrant communities have been racially profiled, people have been ripped from their families and communities, detained and transferred across the country, kept in horrific jail conditions and treated inhumanely, with the sole purpose of deporting as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, with complete disregard for due process. We will not stand for this, and we will not stop fighting back.”
Thank you to everyone in this ever-growing community.
With gratitude,
The ILAP Team
GET LEGAL HELP
Request help for someone detained by immigration officials:
ilapmaine.org/detention
Request help for other types of immigration legal cases in Maine:
ilapmaine.org/requestMeet with ILAP to get answers to quick immigration questions:
ilapmaine.org/request#meetKnow Your Rights:
aclumaine.org/preparingforice/Make a Family Preparedness Plan:
ilapmaine.org/prepare
Join ILAP for Immigration 101
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming community presentation about how to support your immigrant neighbors. Learn about the U.S. immigration system, and how to connect people to ILAP’s services.
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
5:30PM
Equality Community Center
15 Casco Street, Portland, ME
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 immigration law and policy developments from the past few weeks. All updates are subject to rapid change.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Congress debates $70 billion in additional funding for immigration enforcement
WHAT IT MEANS:
Congress will return in early June to continue debate on an additional $70 billion for immigration enforcement, as part of the reconciliation package. Learn more about what’s on the table from the American Immigration Council.
If you haven’t already, you can contact your Members of Congress through ILAP’s action alert and demand they vote NO on any additional funding for immigration enforcement. Action alert here.
Supreme Court hears oral arguments on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) terminations
In late April, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case questioning whether the Trump administration properly terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti and Syria. The case will have implications for all TPS countries.
In the case, the Trump administration argued that TPS decisions are not subject to review by the courts under the law. The plaintiffs argued that Congress outlined a process and standards that must be followed (and the Trump administration had not followed them).
The decision on the case is expected later this summer.
For the latest status on individual TPS countries, check the “Alerts” section on the country’s page on the USCIS website.
Trump administration implements end of deferred action for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification
Congress created the Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification in 1990. The law seeks to provide permanent protection and stability to noncitizen children who have been found to be abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent.
While Congress intended for at-risk children and youth who have been granted SIJ classification to have swift access to apply for a green card – providing them with permanent protection in the U.S. – massive delays at USCIS left young people stuck in limbo. To ensure young people granted SIJ classification were protected from deportation and had access to a work permit while waiting in the backlog, USCIS has had a deferred action policy in place to bridge that gap since 2022.
In 2025, the Trump administration sought to end deferred action for young people granted SIJ classification. The termination was challenged in the courts, and put on pause. Still, there have been ongoing reports of young people granted SIJ classification being detained and deported.
In early May 2026, the Trump administration officially ended deferred action for SIJ. Going forward, more vulnerable young people who have been granted SIJ classification will be at risk of deportation and have no means to support themselves while cases pend.
Over the past several weeks, ILAP has seen an uptick in ICE enforcement activity across Maine, particularly in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Maine Public reported on the renewed fear taking hold in immigrant communities, with pastors, community leaders, and families describing what daily life feels like right now.
The Boston Globe brought broader attention to the state of immigration enforcement in Maine, who is being affected, and how the arrests are taking place. Citing ILAP Policy Director Lisa Parisio, the article reported:
“ICE appears to be targeting and detaining people around their homes, and most of those arrested are people in ‘lawful immigration processes,’ with no criminal records.”
Earlier this month, WMTW and Maine Morning Star reported on Portland’s new ordinance limiting city employees from diverting municipal resources to assist the federal government with civil immigration enforcement. ILAP testified in support of the ordinance.
ILAP in The Community
Over the last year, community music events supporting ILAP have shown the powerful role the arts can play in building connection and solidarity. We are grateful to share a few more on the horizon.
On Friday, June 6, the Voices from the Heart women’s chorus, featuring singers from Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, will hold their spring concert at Portsmouth's South Church in New Hampshire at 4 PM and 7 PM. The chorus chose ILAP as this year’s beneficiary through a member vote, and one of their singers has invited an immigrant artist to perform a drum piece during the evening.
The following week, on Friday, June 12 at 7 PM, the band Bold Riley will perform at the UCC North Windham Church as part of the church’s concert series, with proceeds shared between the church, the band, and ILAP.
The next night, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick‘s Concerts for a Cause series wraps up on Saturday, June 13 with An Evening with Matt Nakoa at 7:30 PM. Thank you to Low Lily for a wonderful evening earlier this month as part of the same series.
Looking back, Singing Resistance Bangor and Women with Wings came together last month to host a community singalong, with a silent auction to raise money for ILAP's work.
Thank you to all the artists and musicians who make these moments of connection possible, and to everyone who shows up to listen, sing, and stand alongside immigrant communities in Maine.
For previous updates from ILAP, check out the links below:
April 30, 2026: Golden Door
April 7, 2026: Immigrant Beacon
March 31, 2026: March Golden Door