ACLU Joins Immigrants and Advocates to Oppose Anti-Immigrant Bill
LD 366 Would Punish Local Governments that Don’t Act as Immigration Agents
Augusta – The ACLU of Maine is at the State House today to urge members of the Judiciary Committee to reject LD 366, an anti-immigrant bill sponsored by Rep. Larry Lockman (R-Amherst).
Like other “anti-sanctuary city” bills around the country, LD 366 would force local law enforcement to act like federal immigration agents, and it would punish towns and cities that choose not to do so by withholding all state funds.
The following can be attributed to Oamshri Amarasingham, advocacy director at the ACLU of Maine:
“LD 366 will make immigrants feel less welcome in Maine. It will undermine the trust between local law enforcement and the communities they serve. And it will punish towns and cities if they choose not to participate in potentially unconstitutional behavior like unlawful detainment and racial profiling. Forcing local law enforcement to participate in immigration enforcement will take away from their ability to respond to pressing issues, like responding to emergencies. We will all be better off if the legislature rejects LD 366.”
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