PORTLAND — A Dunkin’ Donuts store owner met Wednesday with a Portland college student and activist who called out the business on social media after a store employee refused to serve her Somali-speaking family and then called police following an argument in the drive-thru lane. Hamdia Ahmed, 20, said she felt that the employee discriminated […]
immigration
Posted inMaine
Maine immigrants say they want ‘a seat at the table’ in next governor’s administration
Claude Rwaganje is hoping that Maine’s next governor will be kinder to immigrants than the present occupant of the Blaine House. Rwaganje and other immigrants to Maine said they are listening closely to what the four candidates hoping to replace Gov. Paul LePage are saying when it comes to the state’s newest residents – such […]
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Posted inNation / World
Trump administration to detain immigrant families longer despite court limits
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Thursday it is preparing to circumvent limits on the government’s ability to hold minors in immigration jails by withdrawing from the Flores Settlement Agreement, the federal consent decree that has shaped detention standards for underage migrants since 1997. The maneuver is almost certain to land the administration back in […]
Posted inMaine
Concord Coach says driver was right to keep 14-year-old boy without ID off bus
ROCKLAND — Concord Coach Lines backed its bus driver after a front-page column in the Boston Globe raised concerns about possible racism when a 14-year-old boy was not allowed to board the bus in Rockland . The boy in question is Ahmed, 14, of Brookline, Mass. We are not using his last name due to his age. […]
Posted inNation / World, sj-web
Federal judge halts deportation, threatens attorney general with contempt
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday halted a deportation in progress and threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt if the mother and daughter weren’t returned to the U.S. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of Washington learned in court that the two plaintiffs in a lawsuit before him were being […]
Posted inConnections, Lewiston-Auburn
Lewiston-Auburn chosen as host site for national program on immigration
LEWISTON — Museum L-A has been selected as one of 32 sites across 24 states to host a program series Becoming American. As local and national debates on immigration continue, the program is meant to encourage conversation, celebration and understanding. Becoming American is a public program that features films, discussions, and a wide variety of events across […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Lewiston police, ICE detain woman
Zera Samson, center, is detained by several law enforcement officers at the bus station on the corner of Bates and Oak streets in Lewiston on Friday. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal) LEWISTON — A woman from Tanzania was detained at the Greyhound bus stop on Bates Street for about 45 minutes Friday while Lewiston police and an […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine
Trump administration extends special protections for small group of Somalis
The Trump administration has extended special protections for a small group of Somalis living in the United States, after dismantling the same program for immigrants from Central America and other parts of the world. Thousands of Somalis live in Maine, but only a handful is affected by Thursday’s announcement. The federal government decided it would […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Smokey's Greater Shows wrestles with finding seasonal workers
BATH — When Smokey’s Greater Shows rolled through town for Bath Heritage Days over the last week, most people were drawn to the rides, games and booths that signal the arrival of summer in Maine. But like many other seasonal businesses in the state, Smokey’s is dependent on foreign labor. According to General Manager Robby […]
Posted inNation / World
US Army quietly discharging immigrant recruits
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Some immigrant U.S. Army reservists and recruits who enlisted in the military with a promised path to citizenship are being abruptly discharged, the Associated Press has learned. The AP was unable to quantify how many men and women who enlisted through the special recruitment program have been booted from the Army, […]