Kurt Kish, 57, of Portland: “I don’t like to give credence to conservatives. I think illegal immigrants are illegal … I don’t want to be an enabler.”

Tanesha Galante, 21, of Westbrook: “There are just way too many people getting everything … It helps when there are less people on the waiting list … If they work for it and become a citizen, fine.”

Lydia Montana, 47, of Portland: “I think that just abruptly cutting people off is just wrong. … I don’t like the idea of people going without food and clothing because of LePage’s little war on welfare. … I think they should be able to get something, I don’t know about long-term. … If law passes, “hopefully by then he won’t be in office anymore.”

Linda Segars, 65, of New Gloucester: “I don’t think they have a right to come in here and get what people in our own state cannot get.”

Phil Caufield, 73, of Portland: “My relatives came over. They were documented. They didn’t get half the stuff these undocumented people get. I think the city’s going to bankrupt themselves.  You’re going to have to take out of other programs for people who shouldn’t be here in the first place.”

Felix Craft, 50, of Portland: “We’ve got people who come here from third-world countries. They come here with nothing. Of course they need something. … Now that they’re here, we’ve got to help them out.”

Chris Torlone, 20, of Portland: “Maybe it’s a generational thing, but I really do think that everyone does have a right to that kind of help. They’re still a human being. You don’t need a document to be a human being.”

Sam Smith, 30, of Portland: “I think for you to receive assistance you should be a citizen or someone who is allowed to be here. … I believe in a country of laws, not a country of men …. That doesn’t mean I’m heartless. … It shouldn’t become the burden of the state until they become a citizen” … exception for asylum seekers who have “started the wheels turning” by applying.

Marcy St. John, 39, of Portland: “I work hard enough and don’t make enough to get by on what I earn … I could go to (DHHS) and not get help and I am living paycheck to paycheck.”

Scot Hudson, 38, of Falmouth: “Of course … It’s not an immigration issue … what’s the alternative?” He described general assistance as the “emergency room of society.”

Jenna Howard, 32, of Gorham: “Help our own first. Maybe that sounds cold and unkind. We all have to work our butts off to get what we want. They should, too.

Lucie Butler, 78, of Portland: “If they’re going to stay.”

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