The City of Portland signed an agreement on August 21 to accept approximately $18 million in federal grant funding for upgrades to the Portland Jetport. The decision was made by the Council despite recent efforts by the Trump administration to require grantees to cooperate in the enforcement of Federal immigration law. The initial agreement to accept the grant money preceded the new requirements.
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Maine and 20 other states have argued in court that immigration conditions are illegal. On June 19, the Court issued an emergency injunction prohibiting the Department from implementing or enforcing the condition. Mayor Dion cited the injunction to explain why the Council is going forward with the agreement. The Mayor did not have an answer when asked at a press conference what would happen if the injunction is lifted and the federal requirement to cooperate with ICE is implemented.
