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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 25 N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 L AW F O C U S the law, and it involves some of the most vulnerable people. It's not like criminal law, where you have a right to have the government provide you with an attor- ney. In immigration law, people might be deported without ever talking to a lawyer and without understanding their rights or why they are being deported." It's worthwhile to help. Maine's growing immigrant population repre- sents huge potential for strengthening the state's economic future and meet- ing growing demand for labor as the existing workforce ages and retires, according to a March 2016 report by Coastal Enterprises Inc., "Building Maine's Economy: How Maine Can Embrace Immigrants and Strengthen the Workforce." With unemployment under 4%, immigrants "represent a growing and younger segment of Maine's popula- tion and a critical source of talent and labor needed to replace Maine's retiring workforce," the report says. " ey will also grow Maine's economy through tax-base expansion, increased demand for goods, and business creation." One business owner's quest for workers Michael Lyons, co-owner of Rogue Industries in Standish, attests to the benefi ts of an immigrant workforce. He has off ered support to the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project in the past. Rogue Industries does light manu- facturing of leather goods and radio fre- quency identifi cation-blocking sleeves for credit cards and passports. e small company has a staff of eight, but hires as needed for specifi c projects. In 2014, when business took off , the company hired eight immigrants for a six-month commitment. Most were from Rwanda and Burundi; most left home because of concerns over personal safety. One was an attorney, another previously worked with the United Nations. "So we had a huge variety of skill levels represented in this group," says Lyons. "One thing I found interest- ing was most of them could speak four or fi ve languages, yet oftentimes here, people would meet them and mistakenly think, ' ese people aren't that bright because they don't speak English very well.'" Lyons says he was impressed by their drive to succeed. Rogue Industries worked two shifts at the time. e immigrants lived in Portland and most didn't have vehicles, so Lyons provided transportation. "Some would work at a diff er- ent factory during the day, then we'd pick them up, bring them here, and they worked an additional four to six hours. A lot of people think, ' ey're here for the benefi ts.' But these people were proud of the fact that they were working and paying taxes. ey were looking for an opportunity. ey were not looking for a handout." Most had been in Maine less than a year and were in the process of seeking citizenship. All had green card authorizations. Legal challenges of hiring were not onerous, says Lyons. We're When it comes to making certain your legal aff airs are handled correctly—in your business and personal life— the professionals to turn to. nhdlaw.com • Portland (207) 774-7000 • Lewiston (207) 777-5200 Untrained Employees 95% of successful security attacks are the result of human error — IBM Learn More About SE Security Awareness Training 207.772.3199 syseng.com/metraining Untrained Employees IT threats– who puts your network at risk every day? C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Who are Maine's immigrants? In 2014, Maine had 47,000 immigrants, over 3% of the population. Of arrivals since 2010, almost two-thirds are from Asia and Africa. In 2013, Portland had the largest concentration — approximately 10,000 or nearly 15%, representing over 80 nationalities. Portland's immigrant increase since 2000 led to 3% of overall population growth; the native-born population decreased over the same period. Recent immigrants, especially in the Portland region, are young and well-educated, likely to pursue higher education and/or launch businesses. Despite high education levels, barriers hampering advancement include limited English, lack of prior U.S. work experience, recertification chal- lenges, no transportation, financial challenges and racism. S O U R C E : CEI Inc. We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our We try to direct our limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help limited resources to help clients who are the most vulnerable and where legal representation would have greatest impact. — Susan Roche, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project

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