Fleeing violence back home, a father shepherds his family through a 13,100-mile trek into jungles and raging waters, bound for refuge in Maine.
Randy Billings
Staff Writer
Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
Asylum seekers travel to Portland in droves, overwhelming city services
The city stands apart for the help offered to those fleeing persecution, but migrants’ numbers have deluged shelters and attorney caseloads.