PORTLAND — The City Council passed a resolution Monday that asks Gov. Janet Mills to consider a 60-day eviction moratorium following the immigration enforcement surge in Maine that has kept hundreds of working people at home.
The resolution, brought forward by councilors Kate Sykes and Pious Ali, was framed after the Portland Tenants Union circulated a petition that seeks to pressure Mills to treat the issue as an emergency.
Several representatives from the Portland Tenants Union said Monday that the federal immigration enforcement campaign has forced families into hiding.
Julie O’Boyle said action to prevent evictions is needed in order to “prevent a worsening of the homelessness crisis during the coldest months of the year.”
A member identifying herself as Marietta, who lives on Grant Street, said “fear and uncertainty” is still pervasive in the neighborhood, and that “no one should have to choose between facing abduction or becoming unhoused.”
Late last week, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said the enhanced enforcement action in Maine had ended, but a lack of clear communication on the Department of Homeland Security’s plans in Maine has maintained a level of fear among the immigrant community, and advocates have repeatedly told community members to stay vigilant.
Another resident in support of the resolution said they have personally delivered groceries to 39 families in the past week, and argued “that’s just a fraction of what’s happening. The amount of isolation and fear people are experiencing breaks my heart.”
While the resolution passed unanimously, Councilor Ben Grant and Mayor Mark Dion said they were skeptical that a statewide moratorium would be feasible because it would require Mills to declare a statewide emergency. Grant said he’s “not sure that can be done for a narrow focus,” but that he has “unambiguous support” for the cause.
Many speakers pointed out that in 2020, Mills had declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and issued a moratorium on evictions for the duration of the emergency.
A request for comment from Mills’ office was not immediately returned Monday.
During a roundtable discussion hosted by Mills at Portland City Hall last week, the mayors of Maine’s largest cities said they were bracing for a wave of evictions in February.
According to Project Home, a program run by the nonprofit Quality Housing Coalition, there were at least 653 households across Portland, South Portland and Westbrook at risk of eviction as of Feb. 1. Those households account for 2,285 adults and children.
“We believe that the numbers are actually double or triple that, but these are what we know about at this moment,” Project Home said in a statement last week citing the increased activity of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Greater Portland area.
Sykes said she was inspired to bring the issue to the council after attending a meeting in the Riverton neighborhood alongside organizations that have been assisting neighbors with food. She said nearly 700 signatures on the petition is “not the kind of public pressure you ignore as a councilor.”
MAYOR AUTHORIZED TO SUPPORT ICE LITIGATION
The council on Monday also passed a resolution that authorizes Dion, on behalf of the city, to participate in litigation brought against federal agencies related to the recent surge of immigration enforcement.
The resolution came following an executive session last week during which the council discussed the possibility of joining an amicus brief in support of a Minnesota lawsuit against DHS that asks for a temporary restraining order for ICE enforcement activities there.
While Dion said the city was too late to join that suit, Portland officials said the resolution Monday shows support for Minnesota, as well as the dozens of other states and cities that have also joined as signatories.
The resolution states that the council “stands in solidarity with officials in states and cities around the country who are struggling with the destabilizing impacts of an unprecedented surge in immigration enforcement.”
The resolution was also enacted as an emergency, passing unanimously.