Immigrants denied access to attorneys at Scarborough ICE facility, Rep. Pingree says.

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project’s (ILAP) executive director, Sue Roche, issued this statement on Pingree’s Sept. 22 oversight letter regarding the Scarborough ICE facility.

“ILAP clients have been denied their right to have their attorneys join them at appointments at the ICE Scarborough facility multiple times over the past months. These have included check-in appointments for people who are in immigration court proceedings," Roche wrote. "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."

Press MentionsGuest UserSeptember 24, 2025Immigration Policy, ice detention, Racial Justice

Chellie Pingree says ICE blocking lawyers; calls for tour of southern Maine facility

Sue Roche, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, a nonprofit that provides legal assistance to immigrants, said attorneys in Maine have been rebuffed on “multiple occasions over the past months” when trying to join clients at their routine appointments, including clients with active immigration cases.

“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.

Press MentionsGuest UserSeptember 22, 2025ice detention, Immigration Policy

Rep. Chellie Pingree raises concerns over legal counsel for immigrants to DHS

Policy Director Lisa Parisio discusses President Biden's plan to severely limit access to asylum and its potential for harmful impacts on "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," said ILAP Executive Director Sue Roche.

Press MentionsGuest UserSeptember 22, 2025ICE, ice detention, Immigration Policy, Chellie Pingree

Chellie Pingree says ICE is denying lawyers access to Scarborough office

In a written statement, the Portland-based Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project said its clients have been denied attorney access "multiple times" over the past several months.

Press MentionsJolene McGowanSeptember 22, 2025Legal Resources, Portland Press Herald, ice detention, ICE, Chellie Pingree

Deportations in Maine

More than 50,000 migrants are being held in detention nationwide as part of the Trump administrations mass deportation goals. And the numbers are projected to rise rapidly with the new funding boost for ICE. We examine what has been happening in Maine since January in terms of arrests, detentions, and deportations. Who is being targeted by law enforcement, how many in Maine are affected, and what legal questions are being raised?

Featuring Melissa Brennan, co-legal director of ILAP, as a panelist.

Read the full article here: ICE arrests in Maine are up 50% since Trump took office, according to new data

ICE has arrested about 100 people in Maine since Trump took office, according to statistics released by the Deportation Data Project that shine new light on the agency's operations. That's a roughly 50% increase in the average daily arrest rate, compared to 2024.

Read the full article here:Hundreds of Haitian immigrants in Maine could lose legal protections under Trump administration rule:

President Trump's efforts to terminate legal protections for Haitians in the U.S. could impact hundreds of people in Maine, according to immigrant rights groups.

Policy Director Lisa Parisio discusses the insidious pattern of minor traffic stops resulting in immigration arrests

Luis, an Ecuadorian asylum seeker who owns a contracting company in Maine, said he was on his way to a job in the town of Oxford in early April when he was involved in a minor traffic accident.

Luis, who asked to be identified only by his first name given his ongoing immigration case, said an Oxford police officer checked his license and insurance information, and asked for the address of the jobsite he was headed to.

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