AUGUSTA – Last Wednesday, the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted to advance legislation sponsored by Rep. Ellie Sato, D-Gorham, that will provide clarity for employees at public libraries, schools and the Dorothea Dix and Riverview Psychiatric Centers that they cannot provide non-public documentation to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), nor can law enforcement access non-public spaces of public facilities without a valid court order or as otherwise permitted by state and federal law.
LD 2106 directs the Maine Attorney General’s Office to provide a required policy for adoption by public institutions, as well as an optional model policy for private facilities frequently accessed by the public no later than 60 days after the legislation takes effect. Private facilities that could voluntarily adopt the policy include Maine’s hospitals, private schools, assisted living facilities, child care providers and places of worship.
Any legal review of immigration status by the federal government must also be conducted in a location that is designated by the facility and which staff will continue to have authority to enter.
“While ICE maintains a presence in Maine, this legislation will help reduce violence in our schools, libraries and hospitals, and strengthen our state’s commitment to upholding the rights of Maine people,” said Sato. “Members of our communities have stopped going to work, attending school or going to the doctor out of fear for their safety, but their bills and families’ needs haven’t stopped. During the peak of ICE’s presence in our state, employers like MaineHealth reported understaffing as workers called out, and community organizations continue to report that the terrifying tactics of immigration enforcement are exacerbating public health issues.”
LD 2106 will uphold the standard previously utilized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for accessing non-public documents and private locations in community spaces that had been in effect at DHS since 2011 — spanning multiple federal administrations led by both Republicans and Democrats.
During the public hearing, the Maine Association of School Libraries, Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine School Boards Association and countless others supported the legislation.
After receiving approval in committee, the bill faces further votes in the full House and Senate.
Rep. Ellie Sato, D-Gorham, is serving her first term in the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.