Weekly Highlights: March 10 - 14

It was another busy week at the ACLU of Maine: We have new Know Your Rights materials, we were out and about in Portland, and we learned more about where immigrants are being held as President Trump attempts to carry out his cruel policy of "mass deportations." Catch up on our week below!

Know your rights at places of worship, schools, health centers, and more

We’re continuing to add more Know Your Rights materials to our website. New this week: A checklist that can be downloaded and printed to help prepare your community for possible interactions with ICE. We have a checklists for places of worship, schools, and health care centers.

Check out our full resource library for Know Your Rights materials here. We'll keep adding and updating materials when needed -- be sure to check back for updates!

Know Your Rights

 

ACLU of Maine at SPACE Gallery

We spent Wednesday evening at the SPACE Gallery, connecting with community members and sharing resources during a screening of Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse. With the recent hiring of our new engagement and education coordinator, Aaron, we're excited to be back out in the community. Keep an eye on the events page of our website to see what we have planned in the future!

 

We’ll be at SPACE again next week, on Tuesday, March 18, for Come As You Are: A Community Resistance Event. Our executive director, Molly Curren Rowles, will be speaking alongside other community members. We hope to see you there!

Learn More and Get Tickets

Raising the Alarm on ICE Detentions in New England

This week, it was confirmed that New England states, including Maine, are being used in President Trump’s mass deportation efforts. The ACLU of New Hampshire last week confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is detaining immigrants in a federal prison in northern New Hampshire – despite the federal government never confirming it had plans to do so. According to the LA Times, more than 500 detainees could be held at the prison facility. Dozens more are being held at Cumberland County Jail in Maine.

 

We are keeping a close eye on things and have strong concerns about the inhumane treatment of people in ICE custody. We will not stand by while our region is used to carry out these cruel policies.

Read more about ICE detentions in New England here. 

Tell Trump to Shut Down the Mass Deportation Machine

 

Relevant Reads:

• Channel 8 WMTW: Dozens of federal detainees being held at Maine jail, NH federal prison
• Maine Beacon: As Trump attacks campus free speech, ACLU of Maine steps up to back UMaine system
• Bangor Daily News: Judge rules state must provide attorneys or release indigent defendants from jail