Two months into the second term of President Donald J. Trump, our work with Maine’s immigrant community has taken on new urgency, and we are terrified by what his immigration policies will mean for our state and for New England and beyond.

How can a country that welcomed 12 million immigrants through Ellis Island be so cruel to today’s newcomers? Already President Trump’s determination to deport millions has led to nearly 23,000 arrests and 18,000 deportations, according to The New York Times. Many of them are law-abiding, tax-paying residents working their way through the process to acquire legal residency.

As members of the Sisters of Mercy, an international Catholic religious order dedicated to solidarity with women and children, migrants and refugees, we cannot be silent about the plight of these people. What is happening is not just wrong, it will harm our region and our communities. These cruel policies affect real people.

Sister Patricia drives migrant people roundtrip between Portland and Lowell Immigration Court in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, several times a week for immigration hearings. Fluent in Spanish, she translates for the people she accompanies and stays close to them at the courthouse because they are terrified of being seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. She has been flooded with constant requests for help in recent weeks. Never has she seen such fear in Maine’s immigrant community.

Sister Anne-Marie tutors “Sarah,” an African woman immigrant, in English. Their conversations took an anguished turn recently when Sarah’s husband was detained at Dulles International Airport in Virginia and deported despite arriving in the country legally. For a frantic 24 hours she had no idea what had happened to him, until he was able to call her from their home country. Heartsick, she wonders if she and their infant — an American citizen born in Maine — should join him despite having fled due to government persecution. Sarah’s husband has never seen their baby except in video calls.

Since 1878 our religious order has served people in need in Maine, a state whose “vacationland” moniker masks significant poverty affecting long-term residents and newcomers alike. We began seeing a surge in Central American immigrants to our state in the 1980s and ’90s, due to American-backed civil wars in their countries. In response, Sister Patricia co-founded the Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese of Portland and began reaching out to the approximately 20,000 immigrants in our vast state.

Many have quietly lived and worked in Maine for more than 20 years, paying taxes for services they can never use since they are undocumented. They contribute to Maine’s thriving tourism industry — the biggest contributor to the state’s economy — and provide vital labor to our farms, construction sites and nursing homes that makes an enormous difference to our state’s rapidly aging population.

As Maine and New England have welcomed new immigrants from Africa, South America and other parts of the world in recent years, the Sisters of Mercy have sought to help them adapt to their new life here. From our travels to other countries and our sisters outside the United States, we continually learn about the pressures that drive people to emigrate.

Few Americans realize that many people only risk the arduous and dangerous journey to the United States due to the violence in their own country or severe economic need. In Honduras, seven environmental activists have been murdered in recent years, including the late Juan Lopez, killed Sept. 15, 2024, who was fighting for the right, in the words of Pope Francis, “not to migrate.”

For Maine and New England to continue to flourish, immigrants must not be driven away by Trump’s inhumane immigration policies. Regardless of your political or religious views, we invite you to choose love over fear and to raise your voice in any way you can. Compassionate New Englanders can volunteer with immigrants and help them to know their rights, and let the White House know that we do not support mass deportation. In the spirit of Maine Gov. Janet Mills, let’s bravely stand up for the most vulnerable among us.