Governor Mills Announces Support of Bill to Keep ICE Out of Schools, Health Care Facilities, Public Libraries

LD 2106 would prohibit turnover of personal records to Federal Immigration officers without a judicial warrant

Governor Janet Mills today submitted testimony in support of LD 2106, An Act to Prohibit the Disclosure of Nonpublic Records Without Proper Judicial Review.

The emergency legislation, sponsored by Rep. Ellie Sato of Gorham, would prevent immigration enforcement officers from entering private areas of schools, colleges, health care facilities, child care centers, and public libraries or accessing personal records in their custody without a judicial warrant.

"As I have said, if the Federal government has warrants, then it should show them. Therefore, I strongly support a change to State law prohibiting any Federal agents who do not have a valid judicial warrant from entering private areas of our public schools, institutions of higher education, health care and child care facilities or public libraries," wrote Governor Mills. "The bottom line is this: while the Federal government ignores the Constitutional rights guaranteed to us all, Maine will defend them -- and this bill accomplishes that.

The Governor's full written testimony in support of the bill is attached (PDF).

Governor Mills has forcefully pushed back against enhanced ICE operations in Maine, making clear in her State of the State Address just days ago: "We will not be intimidated. We will not be silenced. And to anyone outside these halls, including any Federal officials, I say: if you seek to harm Maine people, you will have to go through me first."

In response to reports that ICE has ended its "enhanced operations" in Maine, the Governor this morning reiterated her call for the Trump Administration to provide information about "the identities of every person taken from here, the legal justification for doing so, where they are being held, and what the Federal government's plan for them are."

Yesterday, the Governor convened a roundtable with the mayors of Auburn, Biddeford, Lewiston, Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook, Attorney General Frey, Speaker Ryan Fecteau, and Senate President Mattie Daughtry, to discuss the fallout and fear created by ICE's actions in Maine communities.

The Governor has called on Congress to remove Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, urged the Senate to reject the Department of Homeland Security funding bill until safeguards are put in place to stop ICE's lawless and dangerous conduct, pressed Congress to curtail ICE funding until aggressive tactics end, and requested a meeting with President Donald Trump to demand that ICE leave Maine.