Mills signs executive order to begin creation of a state Office for New Americans - Press Herald

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Gov. Janet Mills took the first major step Wednesday to develop a centralized department to assist the growing number of immigrants in Maine.

Mills signed an executive order directing the Office of Policy Innovation and the Future to begin planning for an Office of New Americans by January 2024. The new office would have a specific focus on incorporating immigrants into Maine’s workforce and communities to strengthen the economy.

“For generations, immigrants have brought their skills, education, and ability to Maine to build a better life for themselves and their families, contribute to the vitality of our communities, and become the workforce that our employers in Maine desperately need. This is as true today as it was a century ago,” Mills said in a statement. “My order will develop a plan for a new office to help us ensure that Maine is fully drawing on the talents and skills of those who want to live and work in and contribute to our great state. This is a critical step for Maine’s economic future as we address our workforce shortage and support our communities and businesses.”

For the last several years, the City of Portland has shouldered most of the responsibility in assisting new Mainers, especially asylum seekers who have come from unstable countries in Africa and elsewhere. Mayor Kate Snyder welcomed the news.

“I’m very happy the governor is moving in this direction,” Snyder said in an interview Wednesday. “I know the plan calls for a six-month period… to develop what that office will look like, so we have a little ways to go before we have a plan to react to. But I’m encouraged. The City of Portland will be involved in informing the plan and I think it’s absolutely a move in the right direction.”

More than 1,600 asylum seekers have arrived in Portland just since Jan. 1. The city has been asking since 2021 for more state-level coordination to help respond to an influx, and Snyder said the asylum seekers and new Mainers have needs around language acquisition, housing and education.

While details of what the new office will look like are still being worked out, she said she hopes it might address those needs and include creating a state database for municipalities that administer General Assistance and work with families and individuals in need to track where people have gotten help.

“I definitely think one initial element would be a state-level database for information tracking,” Snyder said.

One of the biggest challenges in recent years has been housing. Portland and surrounding communities have had to use hotel rooms and the Portland Expo as temporary options to house asylum seekers for several months upon their arrival.

Complicating matters is the fact that asylum seekers are not allowed to apply for temporary work authorization for six months, which leaves them with no way to earn income. Mills and members of Maine’s Congressional delegation have lobbied the federal government to expedite work authorization, but so far have been unsuccessful.

Asked what the creation of a new office might cost, the governor’s spokesman, Ben Goodman, said it’s still too early. He said once the plan is developed and presented, “the Administration would then submit a proposal to the Legislature for funding to create the office as part of future budget discussions.”

When the time comes for legislative approval, some Republicans could balk.

House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, said Mills’ executive order is an admission that Maine has a crisis on its hands.

“It’s largely created by a failure of the federal government at the border, and exacerbated by leftist politicians in Maine who have written checks they can’t cash that are drawing these asylum seekers here,” he said.

Mills’ office said the goal is to figure out the best way to harness the economic potential of New Mainers and it has set a target of attracting 75,000 new workers by 2029.

“As we face critical workforce shortages, we believe there is tremendous opportunity in creating an office that will help our state effectively incorporate immigrants into our workforce and our communities,” said Hannah Pingree, director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.

Already, the Mills administration is working with stakeholders, including the Immigrant Resources Center of Maine and Prosperity Maine, and with the local and state chambers of commerce.

Claude Rwaganje, executive director of Prosperity Maine, said a statewide office would be “a dream come true.”

“We have advocated for the creation of such an office to help guide immigrants into Maine’s workforce, and are grateful to Governor Mills for taking this action today,” he said. “We support this initiative and look forward to helping GOPIF create the strongest possible plan for the Governor’s review. Together we can achieve a lot.”

The executive order also enables Maine to become the 19th state to join the Office of New Americans State Network, a consortium of U.S. states with dedicated offices or staff for coordinating immigrant integration. That network is led by the World Education Services and the American Immigration Council.

Staff Writers Rachel Ohm and Randy Billings contributed to this story

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