AUGUSTA (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine says a Republican’s immigration bill capitalizes on anti-immigrant fervor and amounts to racial profiling.
Rep. Lawrence Lockman’s bill would prohibit any government from restricting the enforcement of federal immigration law.
The ACLU is organizing a protest against the bill at the Statehouse before today’s hearing.
Lockman’s bill would authorize law enforcement agencies to transport individuals who are unlawfully present to a federal facility. It also would establish a complaint process, a private right of action and a duty to report.
The ACLU notes that federal law doesn’t require local law enforcement to engage in federal immigration enforcement.
The civil liberties group says local officers aren’t trained as immigration agents. It worries the bill will undermine trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
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