advocacy priorities
© Shutterstock/Diego G Diaz
We fight for a world where equity, access to resources and justice, and human rights and dignity are prioritized at every step of a person’s immigration journey.
ILAP develops its annual policy and advocacy priorities based on the goals, needs, and vision of our clients and immigrant communities across Maine. Our theory of change is rooted in partnership and collaboration to maximize resources and expertise for broad and lasting impact.
2026 POLICY & Advocacy Priorities
ILAP’s 2026 policy work will heavily focus on responding to the Trump administration’s indiscriminate mass deportation agenda. As part of this work, ILAP will strive to combat rampant and intentional misinformation from the administration. We will work to be a resource for law and policymakers, the media, and the public to ensure they have accurate information about the U.S. immigration system and who immigrants are. When safe and possible, ILAP will prioritize assisting members of Maine’s immigrant communities in sharing their expertise, experiences, and stories. Finally, no matter what we face, ILAP will continue to talk about, envision, and call for a U.S. immigration system rooted in accessibility, justice, and shared humanity.
ILAP’s policy priorities do not appear in any particular order.
Defend Maine’s immigrant communities from the Trump administration’s mass immigration enforcement and deportation agenda
The Trump administration’s cruel, indiscriminate mass deportation agenda is based on anti-immigrant fear-mongering and does not serve any legitimate public policy purposes. ILAP will continue to advocate against mass enforcement and deportation at the federal level and for Maine’s state and local governments to take all actions within their power to protect Maine residents. This will include, but is not limited to, ongoing work to ensure Maine law enforcement and other public entities are not voluntarily assisting the federal government with civil immigration enforcement.
Respond to systemic issues in immigration detention in Maine and in surrounding states where Maine residents are being held
Immigration detention is unjust, inhumane, and unnecessary and ILAP opposes the existence of immigrant detention. In coordination with local and regional partners, ILAP will continue to respond to systemic issues impacting Maine residents in immigration detention, while calling for its dismantling at the federal level.
Defend the existence of and access to humanitarian immigration pathways
Humanitarian immigration programs -- including protections like asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and Temporary Protected Status -- are longstanding and fundamental parts of U.S. immigration law, safeguarding at-risk people while upholding values of human dignity and human rights. ILAP will continue to join with partners across the nation in advocacy efforts as well as call on Maine’s Congressional delegation to respond to the Trump administration’s continued attempts to dismantle these and other programs that Congress intentionally created to protect vulnerable people.
Advocate for the rights and protection of immigrant children at all levels of government
Vulnerable immigrant children in Maine and beyond should be identified, protected, and provided with resources. ILAP will continue to advocate for policies and protocols at all levels of government that ensure that the safety of all children in Maine is prioritized, regardless of immigration status. ILAP is committed to assisting Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Judiciary, and other state government bodies charged with protecting children in better understanding the issues affecting noncitizens and responding effectively. At the federal level, ILAP calls for noncitizen children to be shielded from mass enforcement and for them to have access to permanent immigration protections.
Defend access to work permits for asylum seekers and others in Maine’s immigrant communities
Access to work permits for asylum seekers, Temporary Protected Status applicants and holders, and others navigating the U.S. immigration system is crucial and commonsense in helping people achieve stability and security. ILAP will continue to work with the Work Permits Advocacy Coalition and other national partners to protect access to work permits, while simultaneously pushing for Congress to take down preexisting barriers through legislative fixes.
Support partners in their work to protect and expand immigrants’ access to services to meet basic needs in Maine
All people in Maine and beyond should be able to meet their basic human needs, and immigration status should never be a factor in access to shelter, food, education, safety from violence, and more. ILAP works to support the advocacy efforts of our partner organizations who lead policy work in these areas in Maine by providing immigration expertise when relevant, as well as other assistance.
Support the policy work of Maine’s Office of New Americans
Maine’s Office of New Americans is a key investment in Maine’s immigrant communities and the future of all Maine people and the state. ILAP stands by to assist the agency in engaging as a national policy voice and in meeting its critical mission of “making Maine a home of opportunity for all, strengthening Maine's workforce, enhancing the vibrancy of Maine's communities, and building a strong economy.”
Advocate for policies and programs to expand access to qualified immigration legal services for Maine’s immigrant communities
As immigrants continue to be targeted by the federal administration, increased access to legal assistance is more important than ever. Having a qualified immigration lawyer significantly improves someone’s chances of success in seeking protection from detention and deportation, and should be available to everyone navigating the U.S. immigration system. But unlike the criminal legal system, there are no government-paid attorneys in immigration cases, leaving those without legal assistance vulnerable to exploitation by non-lawyers.
ILAP will continue to call on Maine’s legislature to expand and make permanent funding for civil legal aid, which helps Maine’s immigrant communities access assistance from ILAP, and funds Maine’s other civil legal aid organizations that provide critical legal services to low-income Mainers.
At the federal level, ILAP will also continue to support advocacy efforts for universal representation and for a robust and efficient Recognition & Accreditation Program. ILAP also stands by to assist the Maine Attorney General’s office and other government agencies in responding to the widespread harms of unauthorized practice of immigration law.
