Immigration lawyers in Maine say President Trump's so-called Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law earlier this month, will supercharge immigration enforcement and detention.
University of Maine School of Law professor Anna Welch said $170 billion in additional funding for ICE and Border Patrol will almost certainly lead to more arrests in Maine and across the country.
"We're going to see a huge uptick in CBP and ICE officers working in the state of Maine conducting arrests, doing, you know, those roving stops, checkpoints, etc." she said.
The new law also imposes fees on immigrants applying for certain legal protections, including a minimum $250 fee for children applying for what's known as special immigrant juvenile status.
"This is for children and young people applying for humanitarian protection because they've been abused, neglected, or abandoned by one or both of their parents," said Sue Roche, executive director of the Portland-based Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project. "A fee for abused children really shows how cruel this agenda is."
The law also further restricts access to federal safety net programs for some immigrants with legal status, including refugees.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services estimates 3,000 people in the state could lose Medicaid coverage under those new rules.
