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Contact: Mufalo Chitam, Executive Director
Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
207-517-3404
mufaloc@maineimmigrantrights.org

MIRC Statement in Response to Synagogue Shooting in Pittsburgh, PA

PORTLAND, MAINE- “On behalf of the members of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, I extend my sincere condolences to, our member organization, the Congregation Bet Ha’am and the entire Jewish community and everyone affected by the shootings today in Pittsburgh, especially the families of the deceased. We wish the injured a quick recovery. “

We commend the members of law enforcement who acted swiftly to end the attack. During times such as these, we are reminded of how venerable our communities are to acts of hate. We stand united with our Jewish community in Maine and the US in condemning violence and all hate crimes in our communities. MIRC continues to advocate for communities that are truly inclusive, welcoming and safe for everyone.

The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC) strives to improve the legal, social and economic conditions experienced by Maine’s Immigrants – enhancing their lives and strengthening Maine – through advocacy, information sharing, and fostering collaboration among member organizations.

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The post 2019 MIRC Policy Priority Platform first appeared on Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition.

Thank you for supporting our work this year! You have helped our community feel more welcome and able to call Maine their HOME. On behalf of the Board we wish you and your families happy holidays and a wonderful 2019!

With gratitude,
Mufalo Chitam
Executive Director

Families Belong Together Rally 2018!

On June 30, MIRC co-sponsored and spoke at the nationwide Families Belong Together Day of Action Rally in Portland, Maine. 2,000 people gathered to stand against family separation, called for family reunification, and an end to detentions.

• In May, MIRC organized a New Mainers workshop at the Maine Democratic Convention and attended the Maine Poor People’s Campaign forum on “Racism and Militarism”, where a diverse panel of immigrants discussed civic engagement and community integration.

• We partnered with the Cumberland District Attorney’s Office and Portland Adult Education to organized a series of listening sessions titled, “Know Your Rights”, in May and November that were attended by over 30 immigrant adult education students.

Proposed ‘Public Charge’ Rule

Public Charge rule comment period ended on Monday, December 10, 2018. To date we have over 216,000 comments submitted nationwide and about 450 from Maine. We had a successful stakeholders meeting concerning the rule with congressional staff and 33 service-provider organizations on October 25. Additionally, 20 immigrant community members were able to meet on December 14, with Senator Angus King to discuss the impact of public charge and share their personal stories. Lastly, under the leadership of ILAP, 25 outreach sessions were conducted to educate Mainers on the Public Charge rule. 

• Maine Equal Justice Partners (MEJP) with the support of MIRC coalition members endorsed the Mainers for Health Care Campaign, toexpand Medicaid coverage for low-income Mainers. Ultimately, Maine made history by becoming the first state in the nation to approve expanding Medicaid coverage, via referendum, to an additional 70,000 Mainers who lack affordable access to care. MEJP and MIRC members are educating individuals in the community who may be eligible for expanded MaineCare.

A Year in Review:

Our Advocacy Driven Accomplishments!!

With support from our funders and donors MIRC was able to raise over 135k in its first year as a stand-alone 501c3 creating baseline stability for the organization. It grew in size and power to 57 members located throughout the state.

MIRC facilitated a strong public voice and inter-organizational collaborations. Traffic increased on our social media platforms with over 200+ emails shared on MIRC listserv with 190+ subscribers, 2000+Facebook and 360+ Twitter followers with 3K Post Reach.

During 2018 Legislative Session we worked together in defeating and/or tabling the following bills which, if passed, would have capitalized on anti-immigrant sentiment: LD 1833: LD1819 (LR2656); LD 1740; LD1873. We helped another bill (LD1492) pass, but it was not funded.

Board member Randi Greenwald and I attended the National Immigrant Integration Conference in Virginia earlier this month. 1,277 leaders from across the country and beyond gathered for three powerful days of learning and strategizing to create a welcoming and inclusive democracy for all. One of my many takeaways from the conference was that as a coalition serving immigrants we need to diversify our membership to serve unreached communities in Maine.

In the fall we met with community activists’ and worked to create an immigrant call center on election day to help our community get to the polls. Additionally, we were able to have over 100 immigrants, from more than six communities, receive invitations to Governor-elect Janet Mills’ inauguration ceremony and celebration on January 2, 2019.

The post 2018 Year End Newsletter first appeared on Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition.

PORTLAND, Maine — The city’s immigrant community is stepping up to help with a sudden influx of asylum seekers staying at an emergency shelter setup in the Portland Exposition building. Dozens of already-settled immigrants from the newcomers’ home countries are volunteering to cook and translate.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive. People are just ready to help,” said Mufalo Chitam, executive director of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, standing in front of the Expo.

Chatim and her organization are helping organize the volunteers currently working in three shifts a day.

According to Portland officials, as of Friday morning, 177 people were staying at the shelter, which is providing health screenings as well as food and shelter.

Most of the new asylum seekers, who started arriving in the city from the Mexican border this week, are from Congo and Angola in central Africa. They speak Portugese, French and Lingala. Portland already has sizable communities from those places who know the language, the culture and the food.

The newcomers are better able to communicate with people who are familiar not just with their language, but with their customs and culture as well. Many in Portland’s central African community also have similar experiences as those now seeking help, making them uniquely qualified interpreters.

“People are opening up more to people who are speaking their language, explaining what they’ve been through, what they need,” Chatim said. “It’s been really great to see those dynamics. Without the volunteers, this would be hard to do.”

Local community food programs Preble Street and Wayside are providing food for the emergency shelter. The sandwiches, chili and pasta offered have been a big change for the asylum seekers.

“Food has been a very big culture shock,” Chatim said.

To help with that transition, her organization is also organizing local immigrants to cook familiar food at the shelter. The asylum seekers are also volunteering to help with the cooking, further cementing bonds between the established community and the new Mainers.

“It’s been really great to see the women offering to help cook the food,” Chatim said. “It’s amazing.”

All volunteers at the shelter have been vetted by a community organization like Chatim’s or by the United Way.

“People really want to volunteer but we’re working to make sure they’re properly vetted. There are a lot of kids here, “ said Kristen Dow, interim director of the city’s Health and Human Services Department. “The doors are all locked, [though] guests who are staying here are free to come and go as they please.”

Chatim is organizing a community meeting Friday night at 5 p.m. at Gateway Community Services on Forest Avenue to recruit more volunteer cooks and interpreters. They’ll be discussing ways to help move the new Mainers out of the shelter and start the long process of integrating them into a life in Maine.

“It’s been thrilling just to see the response,” Chatim said. “When it comes to helping our neighbors, we do, we just come around.”

The City of Portland set up a “text-to-donate” line for monetary donations (text EXPO to 91999). For more information and other ways to donate, click here. Those wishing to volunteer are being asked to first sign up at https://www.unitedwaygp.org/2019/06/14/expo-shelter/ .

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