PORTLAND, Maine — Portland is seeking more than $45,000 in state reimbursement for welfare benefits provided to immigrants who cannot prove they are in the U.S. legally, potentially setting up a showdown with the administration of Gov. Paul LePage.
The Portland Press Herald reports that the city also filed a separate $307,000 General Assistance request to cover recipients whose eligibility is not in dispute.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services in June prohibited cities from providing general assistance benefits to immigrants who can't prove they're legal U.S. residents. The administration has threatened to withhold all general assistance reimbursements to communities that continue to use state money to cover those immigrants.
Attorney General Janet Mills called the move unconstitutional.
Portland has challenged the directive in court.