Portland’s human resources director criticizes comments by Mayor Ethan Strimling welcoming the arrival of more immigrants, a sign of the tensions as Maine’s largest city sees another influx of asylum-seeking families.
asylum seekers
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Lawmakers consider bills to reinstate asylum seekers’ access to welfare benefits
Welfare reforms pushed by former Gov. Paul LePage and the Republican-controlled Legislature eight years ago eliminated access to some assistance programs for non-citizens.
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Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Portland loses federal grant over its support of non-citizens
The Trump administration’s crackdown on communities that support asylum-seekers will cost Portland police $68,000 next year, city officials said. New language inserted into eligibility rules for the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant issued by the Department of Justice requires city officials to attest that their community does not induce or encourage noncitizens to come to […]
Posted inLetters
They are not interlopers
This is in response to the letter from Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald (March 31). How dare he refer to my friends, who have sought asylum here, interlopers. They are people who suffered greatly, who seek safety for themselves and their families. If he would listen to their stories as I do, he would weep, as […]
Posted inLetters
Problem is a rigged system
This is in response to Mayor Robert Macdonald’s letter “Lewiston a struggling city” (March 31). Federal law prevents Lewiston from closing its doors to those who are legally present. Given that, let’s focus on solutions instead of bemoaning reality. Giving asylum-seekers help quickly so that they can start working is just common sense. The mayor […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Auburn joins Lewiston in asylum-seeker increase
AUBURN — A recent increase in the number of asylum-seekers requesting General Assistance isn’t isolated to Lewiston. According to officials in Auburn, there has also been a jump in the number of people seeking asylum on the other side of the Androscoggin River. The increase is squeezing budgets at a time when state welfare programs […]
Posted inLetters
U.S. showing lack of compassion
I am saddened and disheartened after reading the front-page article (“Pain, despair in Somali community,” Jan. 31) about Somali community members who are devastated by President Donald Trump’s despicable travel ban on refugees from seven predominately Muslim countries. How can people read that article and not empathize with the plight of these residents and refugees? Family […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Immigration policy poorly executed
The recent position about immigrants and refugees taken by Gov. Paul LePage and Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald illuminates one of those rare instances where local citizens get to see first-hand how inept federal policies affect their communities. Let me say, categorically, this writing is not about being anti-immigrant or anti-refugee. This is about common sense […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Some skeptical as backers of asylum seeker welfare prep suit
PORTLAND — As defenders of welfare for asylum seekers in Maine get ready for a legal challenge against new rules, advocacy groups are divided about whether the effort can succeed. The state Department of Health and Human Services has released new rules that only immigrants who meet a federal law’s definition of “lawfully present,” or […]