A representative from the Maine Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project warned lawmakers that tenants face increasing risks regardless of their immigration status, pointing to a number of recently exposed cases of unlawful detentions.
“In relationships where there are power dynamics, including landlord and tenant, weaponizing ICE is not new,” Policy Director Lisa Parisio testified during the hearing. “But in this environment, the stakes and human consequences are at their highest.”
Read MoreLawyers say it has become harder to locate detainees arrested and flown out of New England since ICE’s recent enforcement surge.
Read MoreIt was quiet at the Grace African & Caribbean Food Mart on Main Street in Westbrook Tuesday afternoon. The store had not seen any customers all day, and only one person came in the day before.
Read MoreU.S. Sen. Susan Collins announced Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ended its immigration crackdown in Maine, but in communities that have been gripped by fear and uncertainty for more than a week, the news was met with caution and skepticism, not celebration. “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 MoreLawyers say that it’s been harder for their clients who have been detained by immigration officials in Maine to get a bond hearing from the U.S. Department of Justice.
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