Dear MIRC Community,
Happy Black Friday to all who shop!
Your humble narrator had the rare gift of spending Thanksgiving with my family and celebrating my brother’s birthday for the first time in 10 years. It’s incredible to call Maine home and feel the connections I’ve built here. Still, moments like this remind me how much is missed when you’re far from family for so long. I’m especially grateful for the time I had with my parents this year, and I hope that you, too, are surrounded by loved ones and making this holiday season your own, with whatever traditions matter most to you.
With that, let’s get on to the MIRC Advocacy Update:
| Local |
| The Camden Conference and Portland Public Library have partnered to host a conversation on immigration, displacement, and identity, particularly as it relates to politics in the Middle East. The event will be on December 11th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. The speaker will be none other than our very own former Membership and Development Manager of MIRC, Fatima Saidi! |
| For folks in the Portland area: The City Clerk’s office is seeking volunteers to serve on various boards and committees, which all play an important role in Portland’s government. Residents can find the full position descriptions and application instructions on the City’s website. Apply by Friday, December 12; applicants will be contacted for interviews. |
| Our friends at We Are All America are hosting a bimonthly Leadership Development Program. In this upcoming webinar titled Mastering Fundraising, they will provide an overview of grant writing and advanced fundraising techniques to help you craft compelling proposals and implement effective fundraising strategies. You can register here for the December 5th event. |
| Despite over six months of protests calling for its termination, the Cumberland County Commissioners voted on last Monday night to maintain their agreement with federal authorities. This contract permits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain prisoners at the county jail. |
| Celebrate the holiday season with Khmer Maine at their joyful Cambodian Christmas gathering on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, from 4:00 – 6:00 PM at 318 Brighton Ave, Portland, Maine. This event will feature delicious Khmer food, traditional music, dance, and stories, all while celebrating community, culture, and connection. Your attendance and support will help fund Khmer Maine’s programs for Cambodian and Southeast Asian families throughout Maine. |
| Our friends at Preble Street have launched their own Advocacy Newsletter focusing on the federal government’s attacks on people living in poverty, commentary from people with lived experience, and easy actions people can take to support their community. You can sign up and catch the next edition here. |
| Last week, approximately 200 individuals filled the RSU 9 board of directors meeting to discuss the controversy surrounding the middle school principal’s Halloween costume. |
| Tedford Housing has opened a new emergency homeless shelter, consolidating its existing adult and family shelters and administrative offices into one location. The new facility significantly increases capacity by 60%, expanding the family shelter from six to 10 individual units and the adult shelter from 16 to 24 beds. |
| Friendly reminder for our coalition members: Have an advocacy issue or upcoming legislation you want MIRC to champion? Please fill out our new Policy Submission form and join us for our Policy committee meeting to help us understand the issue. |
| State |
| The transitional living program that housed homeless youth in Aroostook County, Northern Lighthouse, announced on Nov. 14 that its transitional living program would close immediately, after officials were notified shortly after the government reopened last week that their $350,000 federal grant was denied. The program began in 2023 and supported homeless youth aged 16 to 21. |
| Nonpartisan budget forecasters are predicting $250 million more in state revenue than originally expected; laying the foundation for another budget battle when lawmakers return to the State House in January. |
| According to a press release, the U.S. Border Patrol in Maine recorded an unprecedented 725 apprehensions in the last fiscal year, a record high that aligns with the Trump administration’s heightened, nationwide immigration enforcement policies. Some individuals have been granted bond from immigration detention or released after federal judges questioned the legal basis of their arrests, while others have been ordered deported. |
| Maine Morning Star looked at the progress made and yet to be made in the legislature for the Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, and Mi’kmaq Nation(collectively known as the Wabanaki Nations). |
| The work of our friends at Preble Street was highlighted in an article by the Maine Morning Star that covered the growing demand for food pantries and how communities are stepping up to help their neighbors. |
| In the same vein, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) announced the launch of the Maine Food Access Map, a statewide interactive resource that helps individuals and families locate nearby food pantries, meal sites, school-based programs, WIC clinics, and other free or donation-based food assistance services. Learn more and access the map. |
| Federal |
| From our friends at Protecting Immigrant Families: The Trump administration has proposed to rescind the 2022 DHS public charge rule. The proposal does not replace the 2022 policy with new language or provide clear guidance, creating an opportunity for arbitrary and discriminatory decisions and worsening fear and confusion among immigrant families. Join them for a webinar on Wednesday, December 3 at 1:00PM EST to learn more about the proposed rule, our coordinated response to this attack, and resources available for advocates and communities. |
| The Trump administration has published a notice in Wednesday’s Federal Register, effectively denying lawfully present immigrants access to housing programs. The HUD notice reinterprets a 1996 law to restrict access for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence with “U” visas, child abuse survivors with “Special Immigrant Juvenile Status,” people with Temporary Protected Status, and other lawfully present immigrants, including those approved for permanent residency awaiting “green cards.” This impacts a range of HUD programs administered by the Office of Community Planning and Development, such as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), CDBG Disaster Recovery, and Continuum of Care, which aid homeless families and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Our friends at PIF have shared this statement in response. |
| Uncertainty and worry are mounting among refugees admitted under the Biden administration, whose belief that their status was secure is now undermined by a sweeping review ordered by the Trump administration. This evaluation of all admitted refugees was detailed in a memo, signed on Friday by Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and subsequently obtained by The Associated Press. |
| Immigration and Customs Enforcement has set a new record this year by detaining approximately 600 children in the federal shelter system—a number greater than the total for the previous four years combined. This stark increase suggests a growing trend of immigrant family separation across the United States. Under the Trump administration, the average time a child spends in federal custody has risen significantly to nearly six months, compared to only one month during the Biden administration. The majority of these children were taken into custody during an immigration raid or after a routine court hearing. |
| Finally, some good news: The Trump administration’s withdrawal of a rule that would have limited aid for undocumented survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence has led a coalition of Democratic attorneys general to drop one of their related lawsuits in Rhode Island’s federal court. |
| The Trump administration notified a federal judge Friday of its intent to resume giving immigration officials access to confidential personal information of Medicaid recipients from 22 states. This includes phone numbers, addresses, and immigration statuses. The notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allows the administration to potentially restart transferring this data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as early as next month. |
| This week, after severely cutting our national refugee resettlement programs, the Trump Administration ordered the immediate pause of a successful refugee resettlement program that allows private U.S. citizens to sponsor refugees. The Welcome Corps was one of the safest and most vetted ways for our neighbors to support new arrivals, and the program has facilitated the arrival of more than 75,000 refugees since its inception in 2023. |
| A 2-1 panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declined to put on hold the central part of a ruling by a lower-court judge who had found that the administration’s policies violated the due process rights of migrants who could be apprehended anywhere in the U.S. |
| Bloomberg recently took a deep dive into the costs of deportations. Using a case from Florida, they found that while the government cites an average cost per deportation of $17,121, when holdings are considered, the costs come out to the number of $26,000 of taxpayer dollars. |
| The Trump administration is reportedly considering new guidance to deny green cards to immigrants from countries covered by the June 2025 travel ban, treating nationality from these nations as a “significant negative factor” in adjudications. This would compound existing visa restrictions impacting millions. Currently, fully or partially banned countries include Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Haiti, Myanmar, Chad, and others. While past green card denials were based on factors like criminal history or health, this draft policy would allow denial solely based on an applicant’s country of origin, even without individual disqualifying factors. |
| In a post on his social media platform late last night, President Donald Trump said he will “permanently pause” (if you were looking for a new way to say “end” here you go) migration from some countries. Trump did not specify which countries the pause would affect, saying it would apply to “Third World Countries.” |
While we try our best to cover most of the news and stories from our Coalition, I probably missed some. Please feel free to share any highlights I missed, and you may see them featured in the next edition of our updates.
We also hope that you were able to spend a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday this year. As we move into December, even more holiday traditions are coming up that I hope you get to share with your loved ones. If you’re looking for a new one, my brother and I like to play WHAM-ageddon, where we try to see how far into December we can make it before we hear “Last Christmas” by WHAM! Good luck to those who join me this year!
Best,
Ruben Torres
Advocacy and Policy Manager