MAKE IT A FEDERAL CASE

After federal Border Patrol agents swept Portland for illegal immigrants last month in what was reportedly an intimidating manner and federal authorities in Washington, including Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, were notified of the federal behavior, there seemed to be only one thing left to do: Restrict the state, which had nothing to do with the sweep.

That, at least, is what groups in Portland were asking Gov. John Baldacci last week, requesting that he issue an executive order banning state agencies from questioning a person’s immigration status. The federal sweeps last month, conducted at Portland’s airport, bus and train stations, shelters, ethnic restaurants and markets, resulted in the arrests of at least 10 illegal immigrants, but they also understandably scared many legal immigrants, who reportedly were later frightened to leave their homes or send their children to school.

Sen. Susan Collins had the right level of government when she spoke last week to Secretary Ridge about the problem at a committee hearing. He promised he would investigate the issue. He should, and if the sweeps were as intimidating as described, he should make sure the practice is reformed. But an order to forbid state agencies from inquiring into a person’s immigration status except to prevent a crime or identify a threat to national security would not affect the federal agents. The state understands this. At a recent rally, Attorney General Steven Rowe said, “We need to start a dialogue with the federal officials.”

That is correct. What Maine doesn’t need, however, is to imply it does not trust state officials to handle their jobs professionally when it was not they who caused the problem. The city of Portland already has a similar sanctuary law so didn’t work with the federal immigration officials last month. The state should not want to create the same distance between itself and the government conducting the checks. It should want to participate to ensure they are done correctly.

The difficult, emotional balance between wanting legal immigrants in Maine to feel welcome and preventing illegal immigrants from presenting a security risk is not going to be solved by gubernatorial proclamation. While reinforcing Maine’s open door to anyone from anywhere who would like to settle here legally, the governor should direct the concerned groups to the federal government, where the issue originally arose.