The Trump administration is finalizing a rule change this week ending automatic work permit extensions for many immigrants.
The regulation makes permanent a change that was first implemented last year.
Panagioti Tsolkas, with the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, said it undermines immigrants’ ability to support themselves.
“Stripping people’s certainty about whether or not they’re allowed to actually go to work and collect a paycheck for their work, you know, it has the effect of creating a second-class citizen,” he said, adding that it would also create a domino effect of uncertainty for workers and their employers.
“Many of Maine’s key industries that the state’s so well known for rely on immigrants with work permits, and so that’s thrown into uncertainty,” he said.
In a written public comment, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce warned the new rule could create unnecessary gaps in employment authorization for Maine workers.
The Department of Homeland Security said the change is about “proper screening and vetting.”
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.