What Will Trump’s Immigration Policy Mean for Maine?

November 17. President-elect Donald Trump has made immigration policy a cornerstone of his campaign this fall and has promised mass deportations and tighter border restrictions. While the exact details of Trump’s policy have yet to be made public, immigrant rights advocates are already bracing for what the policy could mean for Maine.

Here’s what we know so far:

How many immigrants are there in Maine?

Maine has about 56,419 foreign-born residents, about 4.1 percent of the state’s 1.3 million population, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to improving immigration policy. About half, or 47%, of foreign-born residents are white, about 22% are black or African American, 19% are Asian, and 7% are Hispanic.

Fifty-six percent, or 31,885, of the foreign-born residents are naturalized citizens, while 43%, or 24,534, are non-citizens.

According to the Pew Research Center, Maine is home to about 5,000 unauthorized immigrants. Nationally, the United States is home to about 46 million foreign-born residents, including about 11 million unauthorized immigrants.

What is the difference between undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees?

Undocumented immigrants, or unauthorized immigrants, are noncitizens who typically entered the United States without inspection, overstayed their legal entry, or violated conditions of entry.

Asylum seekers are immigrants who have come to the United States seeking protection from persecution or human rights abuses and must apply for asylum to remain in the country while they are here.

A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their home country due to persecution, conflict, violence or other circumstances that make them in need of international protection. Unlike asylum seekers, who must apply for asylum after entering the US, refugees are designated as such while abroad and then resettled by the US government.

Trump has promised mass deportations. What does this mean and how will it work?

During the campaign, Trump promised that he would implement the largest deportation program in US history. It’s unclear exactly what that will look like, but Trump’s campaign website says he will deputize the National Guard and local law enforcement to “assist in the rapid removal of members of illegal alien and criminal gangs.”

Trump’s newly appointed “border czar,” Thomas Homan, told the Washington Post on Monday that he plans to focus deportation efforts on those who pose a threat to public and national security, as well as people who have recently crossed the border illegally. He said anyone with an active removal order can be deported, even if they have no criminal record.

Some Democratic governors have said they will resist Trump’s policies on immigration and other issues. Janet Mills, a spokeswoman for Maine Gov. Janet Mills, said this week that she was monitoring Trump’s deportation plans and had not yet received any communication or details from the new administration.

How might Trump’s policies affect the asylum process?

The American Civil Liberties Union warned that Trump could try to limit or close the asylum system through executive orders or legislation. Trump’s transition team did not elaborate Friday in response to questions about whether there would be changes to the system, although Trump’s campaign website said he plans to “remove asylum fraud.”

During his first administration, Trump and his allies placed a greater burden on asylum seekers to prove their claims and issued new rules for immigration judges aimed at making it harder to win cases, according to the New York Times.

Attempting to close the shelter would cause significant legal challenges and run counter to existing policy, the ACLU said.

“The ACLU and its partners have challenged numerous Trump asylum policies, pressing these legal actions and more,” the ACLU wrote in a memo over the summer. “Further attempts to eradicate the asylum system will also be vulnerable to legal challenge.”

What do the defenders say?

Immigrant rights advocates in Maine are concerned about the impact Trump’s policies could have here based on actions taken during his previous administration and his campaign rhetoric. As an example, they cited Trump’s ban on entry for people from predominantly Muslim countries and the separation of families at the southern border.

It’s still early days, though, and supporters are waiting to see what specifics of the policy will be released.

“ILAP is deeply concerned about the racist and anti-immigrant policies that will have a devastating impact on immigrant communities in Maine and beyond,” said Sue Roche, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project.

“But despite threats of mass deportation, we have a legal system and due process rights that must be respected. ILAP and other immigration advocates across the country will be committed to protecting these rights for our clients and for immigrant communities as we continue to push for an immigration system that truly lives up to our ideals of fairness and justice.”

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