Mary Rose lives in London, Ontario, and works in the education and nonprofit sectors. She has loved ones on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

From Canada, where I live, I have grown more saddened by the day as I follow events in the United States. The federal government’s treatment of people like inanimate packages instead of human beings has left me forlorn.

Amid this nightmare, the courage of Gov. Janet Mills shines like a beacon. A piece of legislation currently on her desk, LD 1971, gives her a chance to continue her courageous defense of Maine’s people; I hope she allows it to go into law.

I am a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, and have spent just about half my life living in each country. I spent my first 18 years in the U.S. Growing up in Maryland, the U.S.-Canadian border was not top of mind for me. I knew that it was there, and I thought that Canada was quite an interesting country, but the border was just a line on the globe.

All of that changed when I started college in New Brunswick, the province just across the border from Maine. I learned just how much of a role the border plays in the lives of the many people who live near it. Between 80 and 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S.-Canada border, and all of Maine is within 100 miles of the border.

Historically, the symbiotic partnership between the U.S. and Canada has worked well for U.S. border states, as Canadians cross the border to spend money, particularly on leisure activities. Things changed dramatically in border towns when the COVID-19 pandemic hit five years ago. Suddenly, that historically strong economic relationship was diminished. The situation was temporary, though, and tourism numbers bounced back as vaccination rates increased and infection rates slowed.

Sadly, the tradition of friendly cultural and monetary exchange across the Canada-U.S. border has once again been interrupted. This time, it’s because many Canadians are afraid to come to the U.S. due to the Trump administration’s actions.

I’ve heard friends and colleagues say that they fear being detained without apparent reason, and that a concert, sporting event, shopping trip or vacation simply is not worth the risk. Many Canadian sports teams are cancelling trips to the U.S. over safety fears. The news stories are frightening and rights are being infringed.

As a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, currently living in Canada, I’m a U.S. citizen— and even I am nervous about traveling to the U.S. This is a shame because there are a lot of wonderful people, places and things to visit in the U.S., and in Maine in particular.

I have family living in Maine and I’d love to visit them, as I have in the past. Guster, a band I have a special fondness for, holds a summer music festival in Portland every summer, and I’d love to go. But every potential trip has to be weighed against the “Is it worth it?” question. 

Maine has led the way in attempting to rebuild the special relationship with Canada. Gov. Mills recently visited New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to promote tourism and economic partnerships. And the Maine Legislature recently passed LD 1971 to stop Maine law enforcement from participating in the frequent and ongoing due process violations committed by federal immigration authorities.

These efforts are a good start, but Canadians need to know that Maine politicians will not cooperate with or facilitate the mass deportation machine the Trump administration envisions and now has massive resources to carry out, with the passage of the “big, beautiful bill.”

In this light, I truly hope Gov. Mills will let LD 1971 go into effect rather than using her pen to veto this important legislation. If you are reading this, Gov. Mills, I want you to know your courage inspires me.

Knowing that Maine police will not behave as deputies of federal officials will make Maine more welcoming to me and my Canadian family members. I do not doubt other Canadians would also feel safer visiting Maine, and that LD 1971 will help to protect what’s left of the mutually beneficial partnership between Maine and Canada.