Dear MIRC Community,
Welcome to Friday!
If you want to end the Halloween party early this weekend, don’t invite country singer Brad Paisley! Typically, a baseball game goes 9 innings; however, the two World Series games that have ever gone to 18 innings have one thing in common: Brad Paisley sang the national anthem. (For the record, two other games he sang at went to 11 and 10 innings.)
And speaking of time, daylight saving time ends this weekend. Don’t forget to change your clocks back (or if you’re like me, enjoy the small victory of a few clocks finally catching up to the right time!). The good news? We gain an hour of sleep. The bad news? It’ll be dark at 4:30. Choose your fighter.
With that, let’s get on to the MIRC Advocacy Update:
| Local |
| We are proud to have announced our statewide Hotline! If you would like to be a part of the hotline as a verifier or operator, we have a couple more trainings coming up! We had over 7 news outlets report on our press conference! |
| Speaking of press conferences, friends of MIRC Preble Street also had a press conference where they talked about the impact of the upcoming SNAP funding that is being withheld and its impact in Maine. |
| In a lengthy meeting held in the packed conference room, the Cumberland County commissioners voted 3-2 against a proposal that would have authorized the county manager to inform the federal government about the suggested alteration to the ICE contract. However, Commissioner James Cloutier motioned to delay the vote for 30 days, a move that gained the support of the majority of commissioners. |
| Wells Police Department canceled its agreement with federal immigration authorities, according to a memo from Police Chief JoAnn Putnam read by the town select board Tuesday night. |
| On Thursday, October 16, 2025, an email claiming explosives had been planted was sent to approximately 50 schools in Maine and Texas was quickly deemed a hoax by local law enforcement |
| The City of Bangor announced that the City’s Opioid Settlement Funds Advisory Committee is accepting applications for opioid settlement fund grants. |
| More than 150 supporters, advocates, partners, farmers, elected officials, and friends recently convened on Friday, October 24, for the grand opening of the Food Security Hub. This event offered a beacon of hope during one of the most critical periods of food insecurity in decades. |
| 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! |
| State |
| A new MPI report highlights Maine’s immigrant population. Despite historical Canadian ties, immigrants now come from diverse global origins, and nearly half have been residing in the U.S. for over 20 years. MPI also interviewed nine immigrant-serving organizations to understand challenges like housing, transportation, employment, and integration. |
| Absentee ballot requests and returned ballots in Maine are currently surpassing figures from the last comparable off-year election two years ago. As of Tuesday afternoon, 121,366 Mainers have requested absentee ballots, and 76,905 of those have been returned. These numbers represent a portion of the state’s more than 1 million active voters, according to data from February. |
| This November, Greenville residents will vote on a referendum to borrow $1 million. The funds would contribute to the construction of a recreational building designed to support child care and potentially stimulate local employment and growth. Similarly, across the state, over the 2024-2025 fiscal year, 875 toddlers, or 15% of preschool-aged children served by Child Development Services, were on waitlists for 1,690 services, including speech, occupational, and physical therapy, according to data provided by the Maine Department of Education. |
| Maine officials announced on Tuesday that the federal government has told them that it will not be distributing SNAP benefits to states next month because of the ongoing government shutdown. |
| The Maine AFL-CIO recently featured the story of Besmillah Omarzai, a former Afghan military pilot who escaped Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban takeover. Omarzai’s experience underscores the need for accessible workforce pathways. These pathways are crucial for helping newcomers utilize their skills, establish stability, and contribute to Maine’s expanding economy. |
| The Portland Press Herald has its 2025 Election information up. If you want to read more about what’s on your ballot, take a peek! For our friends up north, The County has put together some information about your ballot. Maine Morning Star also has some more statewide coverage. |
| New federal restrictions, reported by Politico, will cap housing funding at 30% for permanent supportive housing within statewide Continuums of Care. This could displace hundreds of Mainers, leading to deaths due to a lack of shelter beds. |
| Governor Janet Mills announced Wednesday that her administration will release $1.25 million to support food banks, Meals on Wheels, and other anti-hunger programs statewide. This action comes as the Trump administration’s government shutdown has halted federal food assistance for 170,000 Mainers. |
| Federal |
| When the Supreme Court recently issued a ruling permitting immigration agents in the Los Angeles area to consider race as a factor during sweeps, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said U.S. citizens should not be concerned, as they would be promptly released if stopped. ProPublica ran an investigation and found over 170 cases this year where citizens were detained at raids, protests, dragged, tased, beaten, tackled, and shot by immigration agents. About two dozen said they were held for more than a day without being able to call a lawyer or loved one. |
| Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been rapidly building up its surveillance capacities, acquiring technologies to identify individuals by their irises or facial features and to monitor their cell phones, social media posts, and physical movements, according to federal spending disclosures; however, recent documents show that the technology may also be used to target what the Trump administration regards as anti-ICE extremist groups. |
| The American healthcare sector faces a growing labor shortage, particularly in geriatric care, which could be exacerbated by policies restricting immigrant healthcare workers and students. The population of adults over 65 is projected to increase by 42% by 2050, intensifying the need for skilled professionals. In The Conversation, Patrick Aguilar, Managing Director of Health at Washington University in St. Louis, delves deeper into how new visa fees could worsen doctor shortages in rural communities across the United States. Eram Alam, a Harvard professor with a forthcoming book on immigrants in health care, also writes on the subject in The Boston Globe. |
| A new study says President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies may decrease the U.S. workforce by 15 million over the next ten years. |
| A 67-year-old Jordanian man died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this month; it was the sixth death of a Florida detainee this year, and among more than 20 nationwide. |
| A growing number of reports have highlighted how the administration is detaining immigrants who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing despite a rule that bars ICE from doing so. NOTE: Quantifying the exact number of pregnant, postpartum, or nursing immigrants in custody has become nearly impossible since Congress let lapse a requirement that the administration report twice a year on how many of these immigrants are being held in immigration facilities back in March. |
| Immigration enforcement can make K-12 schooling a frightening and challenging experience for many immigrant students. Kara Arundel of K-12Dive highlights how states and school districts can foster a sense of security for students and parents in public schools. EdTrust, a nonprofit organization, suggests that “states support districts in developing safe and welcoming school climates through trauma-informed training, culturally responsive practices, and multilingual communications that are sensitive to the stress immigrant families may be facing.“ |
| On October 17, 2025, USCIS issued Policy Alert PA-2025-23, “Family-Based Immigration: Spousal Petitions,” which updated the USCIS Policy Manual. This guidance centralizes instructions for officers reviewing spousal petitions without changing existing policies. It clarifies the standard of proof (preponderance of evidence, or clear and convincing in specific situations) and outlines when interviews are required (e.g., significant age difference). The alert also reaffirms that same-sex marriages are valid for family-based immigration benefits. This guidance applies to all petitions pending or filed on or after October 17, 2025. |
| Every person receiving humanitarian parole must now pay $1,000, the Department of Homeland Security announced. The new fee applies to anyone receiving humanitarian parole after Oct. 16. The fee applies to new applicants, those applying for renewal, and those released on parole by the agency. The agency said it might increase the fee annually in keeping with inflation. |
| Politico did a report on how the Trump administration’s implementation of the new $100 annual fee for asylum seekers has been confusing and inconsistent. Asylum seekers and attorneys are struggling to understand the fee requirements and payment process, leading to fear and anxiety about potential deportation. |
| The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced an end to automatic extensions for some immigrants’ work permits, reports Andrew Kreighbaum of Bloomberg Law. Previously, people were given an automatic extension of employment authorization of 540 days while their renewals were pending. |
Well, you can’t say I didnt leave you without reading material to head into the weekend with! 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.
If you need a last-minute Halloween costume idea, here are some quick ones I’ve seen online:
- The possible AI bubble (bubble wrap with “AI” written on it)
- The Pope (wear a White Sox hat)
- For the couples: Start playing Coldplay and duck a lot
Before we head off to the weekend, don’t forget to be a friend and tell a friend something nice; it could change their life!
Best,
Ruben Torres
Advocacy and Policy Manager