WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday intended to sign an executive action Friday temporarily halting the flow of refugees into the United Sates and stopping all entries from some majority-Muslim nations, his spokesman said. A draft of the order obtained by The Associated Press also includes an indefinite ban on accepting Syrian refugees, and […]
immigration
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Catholic Charities Maine to continue work with refugees
PORTLAND — A Catholic agency that has for years worked to resettle refugees in Maine says it will continue to work with them even if federal resettlement rules change. Catholic Charities Maine has worked to resettle more than 3,000 refugees over the past several years. But President Donald Trump has announced plans to restrict entry […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage suggests audit of how Portland aids immigrants
PORTLAND — Maine’s Republican governor said Thursday that the state’s largest city should face an audit over his accusation that it has used state money to assist immigrants who are living there while seeking asylum. Gov. Paul LePage’s comments during a morning appearance on WGAN-AM marked the second time this week he’s used a radio interview […]
Posted inMaine
Gov. Paul LePage may come to Lewiston to deal with immigration issues
Maine Gov. Paul LePage may meet with Lewiston’s mayor Friday to talk about immigration-related issues. During his weekly radio address Thursday morning with Portland station WGAN, LePage said he got a phone call from Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald letting him know “we have some real issues here.” LePage said he is “going to try to […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine to end its role in refugee resettlement March 4
As President Donald Trump weighs sharp restrictions on the resettlement of refugees in the U.S., Gov. Paul LePage’s administration has been taking the final steps to end Maine state government’s small role in the federal refugee resettlement program. Documents reviewed by the Bangor Daily News show that the state plans to end its part in […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Donald Trump moving forward with border wall, weighs refugee cuts
Updated 3:34 p.m.: WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump moved aggressively to tighten the nation’s immigration controls Wednesday, signing executive actions to jumpstart construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and block federal grants from immigrant-protecting “sanctuary cities.” “Beginning today the United States of America gets back control of its borders,” Trump declared during a visit to the […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Obama ends visa-free path for Cubans who step onto U.S. soil
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama announced Thursday he is ending a longstanding immigration policy that allows any Cuban who makes it to U.S. soil to stay and become a legal resident. The repeal of the “wet foot, dry foot” policy is effective immediately. The decision follows months of negotiations focused in part on getting Cuba […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Business interests lobby Donald Trump to soften immigration stands
WASHINGTON — Still grappling with Donald Trump’s surprise election, the nation’s business community has begun to pressure the president-elect to abandon campaign-trail pledges of mass deportation and other hardline immigration policies that some large employers fear would hurt the economy. The push, led by an advocacy group backed by New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg and […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Bates joins national bid to defend undocumented students
LEWISTON — Bates College President Clayton Spencer this month joined more than 250 higher education leaders across the country who called it “both a moral imperative and a national necessity” to support undocumented students who arrived in the United States as children. Prompted by concern that President-elect Donald Trump may kill the Deferred Action for […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Refugees to keep coming to Maine despite Gov. Paul LePage’s opposition
AUGUSTA — Refugees will continue entering Maine despite Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s announcement that the state will no longer participate in a federally funded resettlement program. So far this year, about 607 refugees were resettled in Maine, and more will arrive next year. Over the past decade, the state has worked with Catholic Charities of Maine […]