As the border crisis continues to disrupt states across the nation, Maine has started paying rent for illegal immigrants in the midcoast town of Brunswick.
Maine allocated nearly $3.5 million to provide apartments in five new buildings in Brunswick, about half an hour north of Portland, to 60 illegal immigrant families. All of the buildings will be available for occupancy by February, according to a December 2023 report to the state’s Joint Select Committee on Housing.
The construction was done through the Emergency Housing Relief Fund, which would also guarantee “rent payments for up to two years while households navigate the federal work authorization process and secure employment.” Included in the large sum is beds and service coordination for the illegal immigrants.
Maine Immigrant and Refugee Services (MEIRS) is also applying $100,000 from the fund to help illegal immigrants in Brunswick, South Portland, and Lewiston with filing their asylum and work permit applications. The money will assist illegal immigrant family members to “work together to support each other’s goals and achieve long-term stability with the help of a bridging case manager/coach,” the report said.
In 2023, the fund’s support helped transform a South Portland property with 52 apartments, Avesta Housing’s West End II, into a housing facility for illegal immigrants. For that project, the fund also allocated “payment of their rent for up to two years until they fully navigate federal work authorization rules and secure employment.”
The 2024 budget for the emergency fund also afforded $250,000 to the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project in the Portland area, intended to support over 1,000 illegal immigrants, as an “additional grant to support expansion of legal assistance to asylum seeking households.”
Created in April 2022 with $22 million, Maine’s Emergency Housing Relief Fund Program has since grown to $55 million in value following additions in subsequent year budgets.
Maine is one of the many states that has had to adjust to a surge in illegal immigrant arrivals because of the Biden administration’s negligence on the border, which has seen 10,000 apprehensions per day over several days in December alone, the Daily Mail reported. As President Biden’s approval rating continues to plummet, the border and inflation are two issues especially weighing on many voters, including moderates and Democrats.
A December poll showed that 70 percent of voters, including 55 percent of Democrats, believe the administration should impose new restrictions to deter the flood of illegal immigrants into the country. Nearly 1 in 3 voters said immigration is one of the most serious issues for the country, after price increases and inflation.