PORTLAND, Maine — Dozens of families seeking asylum that were sheltered at the Portland Expo for months were moved into private hotel rooms in Lewiston and Freeport on Wednesday.
It's a move the city took months to complete. And after many of the asylum seekers complained of cramped living spaces and expired food, it came as a relief to families.
The scene on Wednesday was met with cheers from asylum seekers, waving to camera crews as they left the Expo.
Toto Kene Capitan moved to Maine from Angola. He said he used to work in telecommunications and has an engineering background, stating he wants to use his experience once his work permit is approved.
"He said he's extremely happy not only for him but for everyone. He is very happy here today," Titi de Baccarat, who sought asylum years ago and now works with the families who stayed at the Expo, said.
Baccarat translated for Kene Capitan, who only speaks Portuguese and French.
"He came here to learn but also contribute," Baccarat said for Kene Capitan.
Around a dozen busses picked the asylees up and took them to the hotels. A city spokesperson told NEWS CENTER Maine Tuesday the asylum seekers would be divided into the Freeport or Lewiston hotels depending on the age of their children.
The city said the Freeport hotel, the Casco Bay Inn, would be used for up to a year and house the majority of the families.
"It does sound like the city of Portland is providing the majority of resources needed on site for the families, which is really huge," Sarah Lundin, who is the executive director for the nonprofit Freeport Community Services, said.
Lundin said this was a relief since resources are limited, but added they're willing to do what they can to help.
"We’ve been really clear with Portland, that we’re happy to help with ways within our mission, but we are not in a position to expand beyond that," she explained.
Around two dozen families were bussed to the Ramada Inn in Lewiston. Lewiston city staff said the hotel's agreement with the city will last until November.
But while the agreement is a shorter term in Lewiston, those working in nonprofits and the schools there said they are preparing for the families.
"It's going to require a lot of work to help these families, and we definitely need the support of other organizations," Abraao Celestino said.
Celestino is the housing coordinator for the Maine Immigrant Resource Center. He said there are 150 to 200 families currently on the waiting list for housing, as well as the few dozen families who just moved to Lewiston's Ramada Inn.
"It's a long process, nowadays," Celestino said. "If you are the head of your household, and you cannot provide for your family, you feel like you cannot do anything. We are here to tell them they are not alone."
Out of those few dozen families in Lewiston, the superintendent of the Lewiston School Department, Jake Langlais, said he expects to take 16 new students into his school district this year.
"Asylum-seeking families, from my experience, have been pushing for their families and wanting a better life. Those students are motivated in that way, and I'll take all of them that I can get," Langlais said.
Langlais said taking 16 students into his district with more than 5,000 students is easy, but the problem will be keeping students engaged, knowing they are in temporary housing, set to expire the month before the semester ends.
"Regardless of a student's age or development, it is a real challenge, and you can find it complicated, [asking] what's the next step and what is the transition, because that is a lot to ask of a student and their families," Langlais said. "I think anyone, even you or I, could not imagine what it would be like to not know where I would be living in a few months."
Lewiston's mayor, Carl Sheline, also wrote a statement Wednesday, saying his city staff was not included in the planning process for hosting the families.
"Lewiston seeks to be part of the solution for our community members who are unhoused, and it is challenging to do so when we are not part of the decision-making process," Sheline said in a text message.
City of Portland spokesperson Jessica Grondin said over email that details on where the families would go only formed within the past few days, and the moment they found out the Ramada Inn would host the families, they notified Lewiston city staff.