PORTLAND, ME — Today, the Maine Chamber of Commerce, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) of Maine, WorkPermits.US and Luke’s Lobster spoke out about recent and upcoming federal changes to work authorization that could harm Maine’s workforce and economy…
Read MoreMaine - ILAP applauds Governor Janet Mills’ decision to allow LD 1971 to become law, protecting Maine residents, families, and public resources from being used to advance the federal government’s mass deportation agenda.
Read MoreRockland, ME – The City of Rockland passed an ordinance and order on December 8 ensuring that the Rockland Police Department and other city resources are not used to assist the federal administration with its mass deportation agenda. ILAP applauds and congratulates the Rockland residents and City Council members who worked for months to put this protection in place for their community.
Lisa Parisio, ILAP’s Policy Director, issued the following statement…
Scarborough, ME – On December 8, U.S. Representative Pingree exercised her Congressional rights and responsibilities to conduct oversight at the ICE facility in Scarborough, in response to reports of Maine residents being denied access to counsel there, and other concerning issues. A copy of Representative Pingree’s letter requesting this oversight visit can be found here.
ILAP Co-Legal Director Melissa Brennan joined Representative Pingree at a press conference following the oversight visit, and shared these remarks…
Read MoreCheck out ILAP's 2025 Fall Newsletter!
Read MoreThe 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 ILAP recommends this IFR – which has no legitimate underlying public policy rationale – be immediately withdrawn in its entirety and the previous final rule granting 540-day automatic extensions of certain work permits be restored.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.
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