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Immigrant Defense Resource Hub (Plain Text)

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Introduction

The Maine Immigrant Defense Resource Hub is designed to support individuals including immigrants and other concerned Mainers. There is a lot of information here! This is a working document, undergoing regular updates, translations, and legal review. This Hub is maintained by the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition and its member organizations.

How Do I Find Information?

Navigate the Resource Hub using the search headers below or use Ctrl+F to look up individual words.

I need this translated.

Use the language menu at the top right corner of the LighthouseME webpage to change the website language from English to your needed language. Please note that translations are supported by Google Translate and may be imperfect.

Need help right now?

Call the Maine Immigrant Defense Hotline at (207) 544-9989. We can connect you to services in your area.

Section 1: Know Your Rights

All people living in the United States have rights, regardless of citizenship status. Learn your rights now so you can use them when needed.

Know Your Rights Situations

You have rights, no matter where you are in the United States and what you are doing.

Know Your Rights Videos + ASL

Know Your Rights Flyers

Learn your rights! Share flyers!

Helpful Tools

Additional Reading

Section 2: Know Your Status

The federal administration is making changes to immigration pathways. Stay up to date on your immigration status and any changes that may be relevant to you. We recommend that all immigrants in Maine seek legal counsel. Reach out to ILAP for help with legal assistance related to a current detention, and call the Hotline at (207) 544-9989 for help finding other legal assistance. You can also reach out to a private immigration attorney or other nonprofits offering legal help.

Refugee Status

Learn About Your Status

Who Serves Refugees in Maine?

Actions to Stay in Compliance

The United States is conducting “re-vetting” of some refugees — reconsidering their refugee status. Maine refugee-serving organizations recommend that refugees:

Asylum Status

Learn About Your Status

Actions to Stay in Compliance

  • New Fees The US government is charging a new annual fee to asylum seekers. Learn about the fee and make sure you pay it every year. Learn more about the annual fee and how to pay.
  • Mega Master Hearings “Master Calendar Hearings” (MCHs) are hearings people have at the beginning of their “case” in immigration court. Courts are rescheduling these MCHs – often without sufficient notice – so now MCHs cover large numbers of people at a time, much sooner than expected. Hearings are moving up from “years away” to “weeks away.” Immigration judges are ordering people deported when they miss these MCHs. Consider hiring an immigration attorney. If you have a hearing, check the hearing date daily via the Case Information portal or call 1-800-898-7180.
  • Check In at Scarborough ICE Some immigrants are told to attend check-in appointments as part of their immigration case. In 2025–26, detentions at check-ins have increased. If you miss a check-in, ICE may see this as a violation of the requirements of your release, increasing your risk of detention. Consider contacting ILAP for emergency legal support. Consider calling the Hotline at (207) 544-9989 for help getting a ride to your appointment.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Learn About Your Status

Actions to Stay in Compliance

  • URGENT: The Trump administration ended TPS in many countries, but some countries continue to have valid TPS. It is expected that the government will not renew TPS for the countries with “live” TPS status. There are lawsuits which could “stay” (pause) the termination of TPS for certain countries. If TPS ends for your country, you will not be allowed to work in the United States and you may be at risk for detention and deportation if you do not have a different legal status.
  • Check current TPS status by country
  • No matter what, it’s important to have an immigration attorney. Reach out to ILAP for help with legal assistance related to a current detention. For other legal assistance, call the Hotline at (207) 544-9989 for help finding Maine-specific private immigration attorneys, or reach out to other nonprofits and private immigration attorneys offering legal help.

Section 3: Make Your Plan

While we hope for the best, we need to plan for the worst. Begin planning for a detention today.

Mental Health Support

Life under threat of detention is stressful. Take care of your mental health for yourself and your family.

Record Your Basic Information

Use this translated guide by ILAP to compile your basic family information so that if you are detained, others can care for you and your family.

Carry Your Documents

Carry documentation so that if ICE stops you, you have the right information to share.

Plan for Your Kids and Finances

Meet with the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) family lawyers to prepare required documentation for your kids and finances in case you are detained. Make sure that other people can pick up your kids from school, access your car, and help pay bills.

Use this “Child Care Planning” guide to make a plan so that if you are detained, others can care for your children.

Talk to your children about ICE.

Take financial education classes to strengthen your personal financial security, so if you are detained your family can stay stable.

Before You Travel

ICE has begun detaining people at airports during domestic travel using passenger data shared by TSA. Before you fly, take a bus, or drive between cities, know the risks for your status — and talk to an immigration attorney first. These flyers are published by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), last updated July 31, 2026.

Helpful Tools

Customize and build your own plan for detention:

Apps to alert friends and family if you are detained:

Red Cards:

Additional Reading

Section 4: Find Resources

Organizations in Maine can help you meet your basic needs: food, housing, health care, and more.

Resource Directories

Important Crisis Hotlines

Need Help Accessing Public Benefits?

Depending on your income and immigration status you may be eligible for help with health care, housing, food, and more.

Healthcare Access

Do you need help finding healthcare coverage?

  • Explore healthcare options on CoverME – Maine’s official Health Insurance Marketplace, where individuals and families can shop and enroll in health and dental insurance. You can reach out to CoverME at 1-866-636-0355; TTY: 711.
  • To get help applying for healthcare, understanding coverage, dealing with bills, and more, reach out to Consumers for Affordable Health Care at 1-800-965-7476.
  • URGENT: Less Help Paying CoverME Premiums Starting January 1, 2027, only green card holders, certain Cuban and Haitian entrants, and COFA migrants will qualify for help paying CoverME.gov premiums through the Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC). Refugees, granted asylees, TPS holders, people with work or student visas, and others will lose this access to CoverME premium payment assistance.

Are you on MaineCare? Here’s what you should know.

  • What is MaineCare? MaineCare is Maine’s name for Medicaid, a program that provides health insurance for low-income people. You can apply for MaineCare through CoverME.
  • URGENT: Reduced Access for Immigrants Many immigrants no longer have access to MaineCare, starting October 2026, due to the federal policy changes in the “Big Beautiful Bill” (HR 1).
    • Still eligible for MaineCare: Children under 21 years old; people who are pregnant or up to 12 months postpartum; Cuban and Haitian entrants (note: different from Haitian TPS); green card holders; people from the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau living in the US under the special COFA agreement.
    • Not eligible for MaineCare: Asylum seekers; granted asylees; refugees; people with Temporary Protected Status; survivors of abuse or human trafficking; certain non-US-born Native Americans; humanitarian parolees; certain categories of Afghan, Amerasian, Iraqi, and Ukrainian immigrants; and others (see the full list from Maine Equal Justice).
  • URGENT: New Work Requirements, More “Renewals” People on MaineCare will have new work requirements and a shorter “renewal period,” starting January 2027, due to the federal policy changes in the “Big Beautiful Bill” (HR 1). Learn more about the MaineCare “renewal” process.

Do you struggle to afford health care or lost access to MaineCare?

  • Find available healthcare programs – No matter your immigration status, all Mainers are eligible to receive Emergency MaineCare, which only covers care to stabilize a life-threatening emergency. Maine law also requires that Maine residents with income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level must be provided FreeCare (free medical care).

Get low/no-cost medical care

  • MaineHealth Access to Care is here to support your health and well-being by helping you (1) understand your health care options, (2) find and enroll in health insurance, and (3) connect with resources for everyday needs. Language and translation support available. Services available across the state.
  • Community Health Centers across the state (see map) provide comprehensive primary care to anyone who walks through the door, regardless of health insurance status or ability to pay.
  • Maine Mobile Health offers primary care and other health support to farmworkers across the state through their mobile clinic. Call (207) 622-9252.

Get help affording health bills

Food Access

Do you need help finding food nearby?

Housing Access

Do you need help securing housing, paying rent, or paying a mortgage?

Get one-on-one housing navigation assistance

Get financial help to avoid eviction

Get furniture assistance

Legal Support Access

No matter your status, it’s important to have an attorney. See legal resources below:

Transportation Assistance

  • For assistance getting to immigration court or a “check-in” appointment, reach out to the Immigrant Defense Hotline at (207) 544-9989.
  • Maine Council on Aging has a list of volunteer ride programs for older Mainers.

Financial Support

Tax Assistance

Section 5: Your Right to Record

Everyone in the United States has the constitutional right to record public officials, including immigration or law enforcement officers, as long as doing so does not interfere with their duties. Your first priority, however, should be to do no harm. Exposing someone’s identity could put them at greater risk.

How to Safely Film Immigration Enforcement

Multilingual Library on Filming ICE

Safety Notes Related to Recording Public Officials

Your Safety

Do not attempt to verify (confirm) if ICE is present in your community if you are concerned about your safety. Your perceived identity (race, gender, mental health status, etc.), immigration status, or criminal/legal history could increase risk.

Your Wellbeing

Witnessing and experiencing state violence can be traumatic. Try to identify things to calm yourself and care for others.

ICE Training

Law enforcement officers are trained to prioritize their own safety during encounters. This can make filming situations tense or unpredictable.

Report Abuses

Report incidents to the ACLU of Maine if you believe you were harassed, threatened, intimidated, detained, or subject to the use of force by federal immigration enforcement while observing ICE agents.

You and Your Devices

All of Maine is within 100 miles of the U.S. border, therefore you and your devices are more vulnerable to searches. Laws and policies are constantly changing here. Consult the ACLU Know Your Rights for up-to-date information.

Section 6: Support Detainees

If someone has been detained, you and your community need to work together to support them. Key detainee support steps are below. All items should be covered rapidly.

Detainee Tracking and Court Date

One of your first actions in supporting a detainee is to find out where they have been taken and if/when their court date is.

Locate the Person

Check the Online Detainee Locator System to identify the detention center or holding site where a detained person is held.

  • You need the individual’s A-Number and country of birth OR full name, country of birth, and date of birth to search their location.
  • If you are still unable to find them online, try contacting the nearest ICE ERO field office or check their location on Find My Friends.

Contact the Detention Facility

Contact the detention facility to schedule calls or visits with someone in detention. Some facilities allow in-person visitation while others may only allow video visitation.

Court Date Information

Check the detainee’s immigration court case status through the US government Automated Case Information System (ACIS).

  • You need the individual’s A-Number and country of birth.
  • Check out ILAP’s Self Help Guide if you are having trouble finding the case status.

Coordinate Legal Representation

Immigration cases for detained people move quickly. It is important to quickly coordinate legal representation for the individual who has been detained. To find a lawyer, check out the resources below.

Find an Immigration Lawyer

Watch Out for Fraud

Check this list of Currently Disciplined Immigration Practitioners. If your lawyer is on this list, cease communication and get a new lawyer.

Report Abuses

Report abuses to the ACLU if you suspect racial profiling or excessive use of force.

Do you need to go to Scarborough ICE? Unless you are going there to comply with your own immigration process, such as a required check-in or appointment, do not go to an ICE facility. Do not go to drop off or pick up belongings, medicine, money, or anything else for a detained person. Call the Maine Immigrant Defense Hotline at (207) 544-9989 for assistance.

Financial Assistance

Coordinate financial assistance for the detained person, such as legal fees, bail bond, commissary, and family stability assistance. The following organizations are growing in Maine and here to help.

Please note: These funds are heavily used and application forms may occasionally “close” as the organization works through a backlog of applications.

Solidarity Fund

Inquire for financial support using the Maine Solidarity Fund Request Form. This fund is eligible to immigrants, undocumented community members, and other marginalized communities, offering bail and bond payments, legal fees, emergency family support, and application fees for immigration documents.

Mainers for Humane Immigration

Inquire for financial support using the Detention Support Request Form, email [email protected], or call their intake hotline at (207) 747-1409. This fund is eligible for people in ICE detention and the families left navigating its consequences, offering monthly commissary support so people in detention can access basic necessities and stay connected with loved ones, and household assistance for people in the Sanford region.

Project Relief ME

Inquire for financial support using the Project Relief ME contact form. This fund is a Black immigrant-led mutual aid group delivering urgent support to those impacted by ICE and systemic injustice, offering help with housing, diapers, groceries, transport, clothing, and legal aid.

Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN)

Inquire for financial support using the Beyond Bond Request Form or email them at [email protected]. This organization offers bond for people with a connection to the state of Massachusetts (detained in MA, living in MA, or with immigration court in MA) when they have the funds.

Collect Needed Information

You need to collect basic information on the person detained to help their case move as quickly and smoothly as possible.

What to Gather

  • Basic information – Record their full legal name and address. Record family information such as spouse, children, and other live-in relatives/friends.
  • Immigration/criminal information – What is the person’s A-Number and country of birth? How did the person enter the country? If they crossed the border, were they arrested/apprehended/detained by Border Patrol? Collect any prior immigration applications filed and receipt notices, as well as any police reports, probable cause affidavits, charging documents, and sentencing documents.
  • Emergency plan – Does the person who was detained have an emergency plan for them and their family? Collect and review all documents they have prepared.
  • Detention incident – Describe everything that happened, starting with when you first realized agents were present. Who else was present? Was anyone else detained? What did the agents say? Did they aggressively touch or move anyone? Was anyone hurt? Do you have other concerns about how they treated you?

Section 7: Local Support Organizations

There are community-based organizations across Maine that can help with resettlement and family stability. Reach out to a local group near you!

Mapping tool under development. A map of local support organizations is coming soon.

Section 8: Other New England Hotlines

Immigrant defense and rapid response hotlines across New England.

See ICE? Spread info, not panic.

If you see immigration agents, write down:

  • Size – How many agents or officers?
  • Activity – What are they doing?
  • Location – Address or intersection/neighborhood
  • Uniform – Letters and patches visible on jackets, vests, vehicles
  • Time – When did you witness this?
  • Equipment – What do they have with them?

Rapid Response Hotlines

About This Hub

The Maine Immigrant Defense Resource Hub is built and maintained by the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition (MIRC). It is a working document, undergoing regular updates, translations, and legal review. Suggest a resource or correction by contacting MIRC or calling the Hotline at (207) 544-9989.