Since March 2025, Maine’s state and local law enforcement have handed over at least 50 Maine residents and workers to immigration officers at minor traffic stops based on their suspected immigration status alone.
These civil immigration handovers to Border Patrol and ICE — which are voluntary actions by Maine law enforcement and fall outside their role — are risking the rights and safety of everyday Maine residents. These handovers also have a larger, destructive chilling effect, destabilizing families, making parents afraid to send their kids to school, harming Maine’s workforce and businesses, shattering public trust, and altogether diminishing our state’s future.
Last spring, the Maine legislature passed LD 1971, a bill to address these handovers and ensure that Maine’s public safety resources aren’t being diverted to assist the federal administration in its mass deportation agenda. That bill is currently sitting on Governor Mills’ desk. When the next half of the Maine legislative session starts in January — or if there is a special legislative session called — Governor Mills has 3 days to either veto this bill or let it become law.
NOW is the time to make your voice heard and ask Governor Mills to protect ALL Mainers by signing LD 1971 into law! Please write to Governor Mills in your own words about why it is important to you that Maine’s public safety resources not be spent on mass deportation.
If you've already submitted your message, thank you! You can send Governor Mills another message if there is anything new you’d like to say about why this bill matters to you.
PLEASE NOTE: Non-citizens and citizens alike can take part in this action. Maine's governor represents all of us, regardless of immigration status. You do not need to identify your immigration status when sending your message. If you are a noncitizen, feel free to leave out any personal details. As always, make the decision that is right for you.
| Robbie lives with his wife and two young kids in Waldo County. He works multiple jobs to support his family. One night Robbie received an urgent call from his nephew who had been pulled over by a sheriff for alleged speeding. When he showed up to help his nephew by picking up his car, the sheriff inquired into Robbie’s immigration status and then handed him over to immigration officials. In addition to having no criminal record, Robbie had a valid work permit and pending immigration status and was held in a detention center for months before his legal team at ILAP was able to secure his release. Most people facing these dire circumstances do not have legal help, and even so, risks remain for Robbie and his family. |
| William is a young asylum seeker, living and working in Portland. He manages an overnight cleaning crew at a local food company, and volunteers regularly at his church, helping run a clothing closet for people in his community in need – citizens and noncitizens alike. He was stopped by police for a minor traffic stop and then handed over to immigration officers. He was detained for months before his attorneys were able to secure his release and he nearly lost everything. His car was impounded, he came within days of eviction, and his life was dismantled. |
| Natalie was driving through Oxford County when she saw that there had been a car accident. She stopped to help, but when local police showed up on the scene, they profiled her and called immigration officers. Natalie, who was lawfully seeking asylum, was taken from the side of the road and whisked to a detention center on the other side of the country. |