WASHINGTON, DC–Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) joined six of her congressional colleagues in writing to the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG), urging it to open a formal review of the Boston Asylum Office operated by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The letter cites a recent report, Lives in Limbo: How… Read more »
Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) welcomed the announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that certain Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal applicants’ work permits will be automatically extended for 540 days, as opposed to 180 days. The extension, effective May 4, 2022, is intended to help avoid gaps in employment for… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and 61 House colleagues today wrote directly to President Biden, urging the administration to quickly ratchet up America’s acceptance of refugees from Ukraine as Russian forces lay waste to Ukraine and displace millions.
“We ask your administration to take several necessary steps to ensure the safety of the Ukrainian people and a robust… Read more »
WASHINGTON, DC—Following a push from Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and 34 Members of Congress, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan has been redesignated and extended for 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday. This comes as South Sudan experiences new and escalating armed conflict, devastation from environmental… Read more »
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) led a group of 34 Members of Congress in urging President Joe Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to extend and redesignate South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), safeguarding the lives of both current TPS holders and South Sudanese who have arrived in the United States since 2016.… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and 66 of her colleagues in the House, led by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to expand efforts to welcome Afghan refugees into the United States.
In the letter, the lawmakers call on Biden to provide humanitarian parole to Afghans in need, including to the… Read more »
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today advanced an increase in the number of H-2B visas through an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill. The provision would give DHS the authority to add up to 64,716 additional visas in FY2022 which could nearly double the number of H-2B visas available next year to seasonal businesses in Maine… Read more »
Today, Reps. Chellie Pingree (ME-01) and Jared Golden (ME-02) joined a group of members of Congress from New England border states urging Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to safely reopen the U.S.-Canadian border.
“Since the land border between the United States and Canada was closed on March 21, 2020, families have been divided, tourists… Read more »
In a letter sent today to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today expressed her ongoing concern with the relocation and expansion of an ICE facility from South Portland to Scarborough. Pingree first requested a delay in opening the facility in March 2020, citing… Read more »
Following a push spearheaded by U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) and Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a joint rule today making available an additional 22,000 H-2B visas that will help small businesses fill seasonal job openings. Qualifying employers can begin… Read more »
