The U.S. Congress has kicked the federal budget “down the road” once again, extending a Dec. 22, 2017, deadline into the New Year’s date of Jan. 19. Making that deadline will likely be another “Perils of Pauline” spectacle, with many contentious issues requiring resolution, all with the expected threats of “shutting down the government.” One […]
immigration
Posted inOp-Eds, sj-web
'Dreamers' are people, not bargaining chips
The following appeared in Friday’s Washington Post: After all of President Donald Trump’s bluster about his “great love” for “dreamers,” brought to this country as children through no fault of their own, it turns out he’s content to use them as leverage in a high-stakes game of political horse-trading. Trump seems willing to strip them […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Textile program weaves new Mainers into workforce
WESTBROOK — A city business is partnering with Portland Adult Education and Southern Maine Community College to not only create American-made products, but to train immigrants to be part of the American workforce. A class of eight stitchers graduated Dec. 15 from a program facilitated by Dory Richards Waxman, owner of Old Port Wool & […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Oxford Hills
Fryeburg farm fined for immigration rule violations
FRYEBURG — The U.S. Department of Labor has reached a settlement with a local vegetable farm that willfully violated terms of a nonimmigrant visa program, according to the Labor Department. Under the agreement, Green Thumb Farms has paid $10,164 in penalties to the department and has agreed to comply with the law, applicable regulations and the […]
Posted inMaine
Attorney alleges racial profiling by state police in Portland traffic stop
Warning: This video includes graphic language The attorney for a man charged with illegally re-entering the United States presented police video recordings in federal court Wednesday that he says show a state trooper’s decision to stop and detain a van filled with Spanish-speaking men on Interstate 295 in Portland was a case of racial profiling […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Poliquin urges action to aid 'Dreamers' this month
Congress should approve legislation this month to deal with the undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children and grew up in America, U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin said Tuesday. The 2nd District Republican joined 33 GOP House members in a joint letter seeking action on the controversial issue by year’s end. “While we […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Bates College students tell Susan Collins to fight for 'Dreamers'
LEWISTON — Four Bates College students sat beside the counter in U.S. Sen. Susan Collins’ office Monday as part of nationwide effort to press members of Congress to approve legal status to young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. “We’re not too threatening,” senior Courtney Foster said. As junior Haley Crim and […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Terry Hayes launches independent bid for governor
State Treasurer Terry Hayes launched her independent bid for governor Monday with a plea for civility in public life and a welcoming attitude toward the new Mainers who are the key to the state’s future success. “I have this vision for Maine that is so optimistic and inclusive – and the only way I can […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump says hard-line immigration policies are price of DACA
In this Oct. 7, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House in Washington for a brief stop at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., on his way to Greensboro, N.C. The Trump administration sent an immigration policy wish-list to Congress that includes overhauling the country’s green-card system, hiring 10,000 […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Paul LePage: ICE requests keep Maine safe and override 4th Amendment
Gov. Paul LePage speaks Thursday at The Woodlands Club in Falmouth. FALMOUTH — Gov. Paul LePage doubled down on his insistence that Maine sheriffs work with federal immigration officials Thursday, saying they are obliged to do so even if it might violate a person’s constitutional rights. The comments follow a week of escalating […]