Maine city reopens arena to hundreds of asylum seekers
By PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Hundreds of asylum seekers have filed into a basketball arena in Portland as Maine’s largest city deals with a months-long surge in immigration that has taxed its already limited housing market. It’s the second time in recent years that Portland has repurposed the Portland Exposition Building to serve migrants. The floor of the arena was lined with cots on Monday as families carried in bags of clothes, food and personal possessions. Communities around the country have been dealing with growing numbers of asylum seekers, and pending rule changes could mean more are coming.