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Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself.

Your letters and calls are working. Now we have to call again. We packed the hearing on Thursday afternoon with supporters of a fairer, better Maine. On Friday, 5 Legislators voted to stand up to the Department of Homeland Security's demands that Maine comply with the REAL ID. Senator Damon and Representatives Fisher, Theriault, Mazurek, and Peoples all voted no to the DHS anti-immigrant proposal LD 2309.

Unfortunately, 5 heroes on the Transportation Committee does not a majority make.

Instead, the other eight committee members came up with a "compromise." Unfortunately, the compromise is still a huge civil rights and cost problem. The compromise:

Turns the BMV into immigration agents, requiring that license applicants prove "legal status."
Requires that licenses expire when visas expire, even though many visa classes do not carry a specific expiration date on the card.
Requires that Maine participate in the Secure Alien Verification for Entitlements system.
Requires that the Maine Secretary of State study facial recognition technology.
Raises the license fee by $15.

Please call your legislators at 1-800-423-2900 AGAIN. Tell them there's no compromising on Constitutional rights. In this budget environment to tax the licenses of all Mainers in order to target immigrants is unfair and unwise.

Don't know your representative? Click here to find him or her.

SEND A LETTER TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVES EXPRESSING YOUR CONCERN by clicking here.

Tell your legislators: Do not cave to federal demands to legislate in haste to satisfy REAL ID requirements.

For more information on LD 2309 and REAL ID, click here. Maine is still being treated differently than any other state in the country. Mainers deserve better.

Thanks for all that you do,

Alex, Brianna, Ed, Marian, Shenna, Zach

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