Business and legal experts in Maine are offering employers some help in understanding what sudden changes in immigration law will mean for them and their workers.
During a virtual information session hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce today, chamber president Patrick Woodcock acknowledged that some business owners are concerned about the sweeping impact of new policies.
"I've been informed by employers that potential changes could affect a majority of employees. This could have significant ramifications for our state, in a state [where] we have fundamental concerns with our long term demographic projections," he said.
Sue Roche, with the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, said there's a large number of immigrants in Maine with pending cases, or who came through temporary programs, who could be at risk of losing legal status.
"And this is, you know, probably more of your employees than you may realize," Roche said. "This is where a lot of advocacy will need to be coming into effect, to try to make sure that our congressional delegation, and the government authorities, understand the impact this would have in Maine."
Roche and others stressed the importance of making sure employees understand their rights, and that employers have a plan for interacting with immigration enforcement agents.
