Gov. Janet Mills has not said whether she will sign a bill limiting police involvement in federal immigration enforcement.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills has not said whether she will sign a bill passed this week by the Maine Legislature that would limit how local law enforcement agencies assist federal immigration officials.
The bill would prohibit police in Maine from detaining or interrogating someone solely to determine their immigration status.
Democratic lawmakers say the legislation is meant to prevent local police from helping with what they view as due process violations by federal immigration authorities under the Trump administration.
Republicans argue the bill interferes with law enforcement efforts to fight crime.
“Most of them are criminals that we’re detaining,” Sen. Matt Harrington, R-York, said. “We’re not just detaining people then checking their papers for random immigration status and then detaining them. Most of these people have warrants for very serious offenses.”
“The Constitution’s guarantees of due process and equal protection apply to everyone in the United States, regardless of immigration status,” Sen. Jill Duson, D-Cumberland, said.
Under state law, the governor has 10 days after passage to sign a bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature.
