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

Senator Carney, Representative Kuhn, and members of the Committee on Judiciary, I am sorry I am unable to attend the hearing for LD 2106, but am grateful to be able to submit this written testimony in support of this important bill.

I am a retired University of Maine Professor of Social Work and a current volunteer with Literacy Volunteers of Bangor (LVB). I do not speak on behalf of either UMaine nor LVB, but draw from experiences with immigrants growing out of my affiliation with both.

LD 2106 protects Maine’s children, parents, teachers, healthcare workers and all of us by denying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to schools, healthcare facilities, daycare facilities, and libraries without a judicial warrant. I think this bill will assist in reducing the terror and paralysis felt by many of Maine’s immigrant individuals and families since the arrival of ICE in the state of Maine.

During my 33 years as a faculty member of the School of Social work at UMaine, I interacted with numerous international students who were pursuing either an undergraduate (BSW) or graduate (MSW) degree in social work. These hard-working students hailed from Asia, the Middle-East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Upon graduation, some returned to their home countries to practice social work; others moved elsewhere in the United States; and a good many stayed in Maine, contributing to their communities in a myriad of ways, including by providing their professional skills. 

Some of these students had children and most were adjusting to a new culture and a new language as they pursued their degrees. Their lives were not easy and I can only imagine how much harder they would have been today, since the Trump administration’s 2025 elimination of the federal policy prohibiting ICE enforcement actions at places like schools, hospitals day care facilities, and libraries. The results of this recent policy change can be felt today as ICE agents ruthlessly, and often illegally, carry out the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.

Currently in my retired status, I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer as an English tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Bangor. In the 11 months since I began this rewarding activity, I’ve had two students: a young man from Venezuela, and a young mother from Haiti. Both of these students work two jobs (well over 40 hours a week) while also spending time on improving their English skills. They have aspirations for better employment opportunities and are taking steps to realize their dreams. 

These two individuals (like so many immigrants in Maine) are contributing members to our communities, with a work ethic that is not easily matched. We should be doing all we can to welcome these New Mainers, given our aging population and that many employers are having trouble finding workers. We should welcome them simply because their presence enriches the fabric of Maine’s population. We do not want such individuals feeling trapped in their homes due to fear of racial profiling by ICE agents; fear that they might be unlawfully arrested, despite their legal status in the U.S.

Senator Carney, Representative Kuhn, and members of the Committee, I ask you to support LD 2106. It is the right thing to do.