When speaking about the issue of large numbers of migrants coming to Maine, Portland Mayor Mark Dion told Matt Gagnon on WGAN Morning News Monday that migrants come to the U.S. border with the address of the city’s homeless shelter already in their cell phones.
Mayor Dion told Gagnon that Portland has seen a “whole different level of immigration” than in past decades, when immigrants would be met in the city by sponsoring families and were more readily assimilated.
Dion said that migrants having cell phones facilitates a “secondary migration to communities where they had relatives or contacts.”
“Today, that’s accomplished over cell phone — immediate, at the point of entry into the United States,” Dion said.
The Portland Mayor explained that a team the city had sent to the border were told by border officials that “many of the refugees already had the address to our shelter in Portland, because that level of communication was ongoing between themselves and people that had made their way here to the City of Portland, or one of the communities in the metro.”
[RELATED: Catholic Charities Maine Touts Taxpayer-Funded Migrant Resettlement Plans…]
Dion, advocating for the state to shoulder more responsibility in dealing with the migrant and homelessness crises, told Gagnon that “dealing with the unhoused is not a municipal issue, it’s a state responsibility.”
“And though that responsibility gets played out largely in Portland, and to a certain degree in Bangor as well, we need significant state infusion of their dollars to help us meet that challenge,” he said, pointing to a potential $7 million shortfall in the city’s General Assistance budget.
General Assistance, a municipal welfare program partially reimbursed by state funds, Dion said has become a “de facto housing fund.”
“The reality is for Portland and other cities, we have unhoused individuals today, and we need to have the economic wherewithal to meet it without going to local taxpayers,” he told Gagnon.
Dion pushed back on the idea that the homeless population in Portland are victims of an “inadequate supply of homes or apartments,” and instead placed responsibility for homelessness primarily on fentanyl and substance use disorder.
“I think when you go into the encampments, or you deal with unhoused people generally, what’s driving their behavior, what’s driven them out into the street, has been a drug abuse issue — a substance use disorder out of control,” Dion said.
“The nature of their disorder has wiped away their ability to support themselves other than being out on the street,” he continued. “They’re not searching for an apartment, they’re searching for their next injection.”
Referring to Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ proposed migrant resettlement office, the so-called “Office of New Americans” (ONA), Dion said “it’s a very initial step.”
The Mills Administration has stated that the mission of the ONA will be to help the state meet its goal of attracting 75,000 new workers over the next five years by facilitating the incorporation of immigrants into Maine’s workforce.
[RELATED: Mills Admin, Nonprofits, and Big Biz Back New Migrant Resettlement Agency for Maine…]
“I’d like to see more resources given to that office so they can meet that responsibility,” the Portland Mayor said.
Listen to Portland Mayor Mark Dion’s full segment on WGAN Morning News with Matt Gagnon below:
Disclosure: Matt Gagnon, in addition to hosting the WGAN Morning News, is also the CEO of the Maine Policy Institute, of which the Maine Wire is a project.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="26238 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=26238">18 Comments
What? Hey Dion, taxpayer money is still taxpayer money. Even after it goes through the State House or the IRS.
Why aren’t you showing some spine and calling for the illegal immigrant invasion to stop?
This story has Maine Catholic Charities as a subtext. This group has been importing trash into our fine State for the last twenty years or more.
Shut the boarder, shut off the drugs!. But that calls for the Governor to call out the President and our four DC reps. But they will not do it and we pay the price. DRUGS RUIN LIVES!
Want more taxpayer money to support illegal immigrants? Close some Fire Stations, lay off a bunch of police and fire fighters, and then…RAISE PORTLAND TAXES. Voila!
More money? I think not. There must be due diligence at the border. Obviously, Mayor Dion, Maine cannot continue to take on the untenable influx of illegals.
To those in Maine govt who actively seek to enslave me – through taxes- to an endless stream of border jumping criminals, l say “Suck it”
Who is giving them the address? The UN, Catholic Charities or is Portland sending out invites?
Its not unhoused people its illegals and homeless. Yes people can be illegal if they have entered a country illegally then they are illegal aliens (or a liens because their native country has a right to them but thats a different rabbit hole.) This mayor and most of all government in this state are pathetic garbage. When are we gonna get the guillotine out? How much more of this will we the people take?
Vote today and always to make a change. And keep speaking out! It’s not just Portland – the illegal immigrants are growing marijuana across our great State. Thanks to Maine Wire’s exposure, people are becoming aware of this and insisting something get done! And don’t allow Vacationland to become Abortionland or gender “affirming”land. Vote! Vote! Vote! Get the liberals out of there!
We should just sit down and be quiet. We voted for this. Open your homes and open your wallets. Tens of thousands are headed your way Maine.
Our Empty Taxpayers Wallets Welcome You
Truth is our government has failed the American people & put us in harms way. As the saying goes “You aint seen nothing yet.”
Why is Maine trying to attract 75,000 illegal immigrants that have no skills and cant read or write English? And not just attract them but give them free housing, free food, free spending money, free clothes, free loans etc. All the while, the life-longer Mainers that found themselves homeless are cast aside in second place. Horrible!
Wake up Mainers! Take your state back from Soros!
Anti-White organizations such as Catholic Charities need to be treated the same way the ‘sex institute’ was treated in Germany. Their employees need to have their citizenship stripped permanently.
Provide it and they will come.
The Jewish Communities Alliance is another NGO that is importing these Scum Bags …The “Tiny Hat Gang ” never misses a chance to destroy Western Culture ..
Oh, effing hell no!
I’m going to share a story hoping someone can explain it to me: I’m an oil truck driver. I deliver to many apartments in greater Portland where there are 4, 6 or more names on the mailbox and these would NOT be “Smith & Jones”. If you follow me. So, my information tells me “customer paying cash”. I knock on the door after 1 in the afternoon only to find I’m waking up Ali, Mohamed, or Ossama himself. Not even dressed yet although it’s mid day seemingly clear Ali is not heading out the door for his second shift JOB. Stinks of weed and pulls out a wad of $100 dollar bills. Has SEVERAL late model cars in the yard. EXPLANATION??? Anyone? I must be doing something wrong. I’m working 2 jobs.