Maine LD 2106: An Act to Prohibit the Disclosure of Nonpublic Records without Proper Judicial Review

Dear Sen. Carney, Rep. Kuhn and Honorable Members of the Judiciary Committee:

I regret that I am unable to attend the hearing for LD 2106 in person and greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide written testimony in support of the bill.

I would like to take a moment and state that though I have worked in higher education for over ten years, and prior to that as a health professional for about five years, my testimony comes from my place as a concerned community member, and therefore do not speak on behalf of any university or health care organization. Yet, my experience as an educator and clinical profession has greatly taught me the importance of public education and health care settings in serving the community. In addition, the institutions of public education and healthcare rely on the trust and support of our neighbors, in return these institutions take pride in providing accessibility and support.

As many in our community can attest to, I am greatly concerned about the negative impacts immigration enforcement is having on our neighbors within the great state of Maine. These recent immigration enforcement measures are causing the trust and accessibility of public education and healthcare to be greatly infringed upon.

Because of this infringement, many members of our community no longer feel it is safe to access public education or healthcare. Practically, this means families are making the tough decisions of keeping their kids home, rather than being dropped off from school, as well as canceling important medical appointments, in the fear that seeing the doctor could result in interacting with immigration enforcement officials. I can not stress enough that the wellness and health of our state is greatly reduced when our neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends’ accessibility and utilization of health care and public education is diminished.

Therefore, I believe that LD 2106 can be an important remediation in providing solace to our community, knowing that they can access public education and health care, due to clear guidance that specific community spaces, such as public education and health care setting do not become sites of immigration enforcement without a valid judicial warrant, and that workers should not be asked to voluntarily facilitate such actions without reasonable justification. For these reasons, I ask you and the members of the Judiciary Committee to vote “ought to pass” on LD 2106. Thank you.