WESTBROOK, Maine — In the fiscal year of 2023, Maine saw a significant influx of refugees, with over 400 individuals seeking sanctuary in the state, as reported by the Office of Maine Refugee Services.
Anticipating a doubling of this number in the coming year, with an estimated arrival of an additional 840 refugees, the state is gearing up to address the challenges and opportunities presented by this wave of newcomers.
On Friday, Gov. Janet Mills unveiled plans to establish the "Office of New Americans" in Maine, aiming to assist immigrants in starting new lives within the state.
This move enrolls Maine as the 19th state to have such an office dedicated to supporting immigrants.
"I believe this will usher in an era of opportunity for all Mainers," Mills said.
Along with state officials, Mills chose the American Roots, Maine Textile Company as the venue to announce their plans to establish the new office.
This initiative is a crucial component of an executive order signed by Mills last August, with the overarching goal of helping immigrants ease into the workforce.
"This means a lot to us because it is a step in the right direction; moving us in a direction we have been trying to go in the last two to three years," Mufalo Chitam, executive director of the Maine Immigrants Rights Coalition said.
While the office cannot change federal restrictions on work permits, which typically take up to a year to receive, it aims to provide essential services to assist new Mainers.
These services include English education, workforce pathways, and various employer resources.
“Getting people ready to work...in some other states they are putting people, not as employees but give them stipends as job preparation. So if people aren't working they are getting stipends to work in the near future,” State Sen. Rick Bennett, said.
Makenga Tshibwabwa, floor lead at American Roots, who moved to Maine in 2018 from the Democratic Republic of Congo, stressed the importance of officials focusing on housing for working immigrants.
"We don't have housing for everyone, and sometimes we have to wait for a long time," Tshibwabwa said.
The overarching goal is to centralize these vital services by opening the Office of New Americans in Augusta for the benefit of new Mainers.
The bill to approve this office could be passed as soon as April.
Maine officials conveyed that the initiative aims to boost employment rates in Maine.
