Although the state attorney general warned Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) that these actions would be unconstitutional, LePage has ordered the state health and human services department to stop providing any assistance whatsoever to undocumented immigrants.
The policy change affects the state’s General Assistance program, which “provides benefits to families with children in some situations when the family is threatened by destitution or homelessness due to an emergency situation,” per Maine HHS.
The agency estimated that 1,000 people would be affected and the state would save $1 million annually, according to the Press Herald.
One million dollars.
The state will probably spend more than that on legal fees as a result of this. The state probably spends at least that much annually on toiletries.
Is it worth it? According to LePage, any price is worth paying to ensure that undocumented brown people with children become homeless.