Lewiston on Wednesday became the latest Maine community to decide not to offer General Assistance benefits to asylum seeking immigrants who arrived in the city after June 30.

Lewiston’s City Council voted 4-3 Tuesday evening to continue providing aid to asylum seekers who were receiving benefits on June 30, Lewiston Mayor Robert E. MacDonald said Wednesday. Portland made a similar decision last week.

The Lewiston council is considering how long asylum seekers who currently qualify for the benefits can continue receiving them, MacDonald said.

“Nobody has been taken off General Assistance and no one is going to be taken off, at least not in the near future,” said the mayor, who did not cast a vote.

The issue arose when Gov. Paul LePage’s administration stopped reimbursing Maine communities for a portion of General Assistance paid to asylum seekers, arguing that it would violate a federal law that requires states to approve legislation making asylum seekers eligible.

General Assistance provides emergency food, shelter, clothing and housing.

Last week, the Portland City Council, following a meeting that lasted eight hours, voted to continue providing assistance to the estimated 900 asylum seekers in the city through at least June 30, 2016, despite the state’s decision not to reimburse for it.

The council voted 5-4 to spend $2.6 million in city funds on General Assistance, but also said it would be open to accepting donations from residents, community businesses and organizations to help offset the expense.

Like Lewiston, Portland will not provide General Assistance to asylum seekers arriving in the city after July 1.

Asylum seekers typically come to the United States legally with temporary visas, but they are prohibited by federal law from working until they are granted asylum, a process that typically takes at least six months, so many have relied on General Assistance to get by. MacDonald said Lewiston is doing everything it can to take care of refugees and asylum seekers, but there comes a point when the city has to consider the needs of its poor and elderly, many of whom are living on fixed incomes.

The council chambers were packed Tuesday with immigrants and others who want the city to continue providing aid to asylum seekers.

“They keeping pointing their fingers at us and calling us racist,” MacDonald said.

“But, I don’t care if Lewiston looks bad. Don’t point your fingers at us. We’re poor.”