Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey meets with members of Lewiston’s legislative delegation and immigrant groups at Maine People’s Alliance in Lewiston on Wednesday. His purpose was to discuss the state’s outlook as President-elect Donald Trump plans to oversee mass deportations. Frida Zeinali/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey spoke this week with immigrant groups about the laws protecting the state’s immigrants, as president-elect Donald Trump plans to oversee mass deportations when he takes office.

Lewiston is home to a significant number of the state’s immigrant population and many are concerned how Trump’s policies will change their lives.

Joining Frey at the Maine People’s Alliance at 155 Lisbon St. were members of Lewiston’s legislative delegation and representatives from immigrant advocacy groups. “We know what material has been put out in support of what the president might be doing,” Frey said. Project 2025 and Trump’s previous term as president have given lawmakers an idea about what conversations to pursue “to make sure we promote legal, economically beneficial, and frankly, humanitarian focused immigration in our state and in our country,” Frey said.

“As the state’s chief legal officer, it is my job to make sure that here in the state and where the state is affected, the Constitution and the laws of Maine, the laws of he federal government are followed,” Frey said. “I have every hope that anybody who takes the oath of office will follow the Constitution and the law.”

“I’ll partner with anybody, Republican, Democrat, other role. This really is not a partisan thing,” he said.

Molly Curren Rowles, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, advised people to rely on trusted sources of information and be “mindful about trusted organizations, news sources because there could be a lot of misinformation — there has been and there was throughout the presidential campaign and the election,” she said.

“At a time when there’s so much heightened emotion and people are really worried about what’s to come, getting accurate information at the right time is going to be critical,” Curren Rowles added.

“We’re recommending that people look into meeting with an immigration attorney now,” Alice Kopij, co-legal director at the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, said. “It’s almost like an insurance policy. I know it’s really difficult to think about the possible negative outcome, but it’s important to be thinking really concretely about what kinds of implications deportation or the threat of deportation might have for you and for your family.”

Few members of the group voiced concerns or asked questions of Frey, though a pharmacist from Iraq said the very long processing times and backlogs with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have been adversely affecting his life in Maine for almost a decade.

“I hear you,” Frey said, but he told the man that because it is a federal agency, it’s not something he has any power to change.

“Think about what’s in your control, and think about what’s not,” Frey said. “There might be some questions over the coming months, coming years. If you need support or you need help, ask for it. If you can provide help or provide support, give it. If you are in a position to voice how it is that we should have a legal, humane immigration policy, use that voice,” he said.

“Let me also add that for those things that are out of your control, please remember that there are people thinking about some of these big questions to make sure that all of our systems are working humanely and consistently with the Constitution,” Frey said.