WESTBROOK – A well-known figure in Westbrook’s immigrant population offered his support this week for Mayor Colleen Hilton’s announced stance against the governor’s threat to cut off general assistance for undocumented immigrants.

The Rev. Mutima Peter, of Westbrook’s International Christian Fellowship, whose congregation is made up of mostly African immigrants, said Wednesday that members of the church feel that “their shelter and food will be taken away, and have nowhere to turn.”

Hilton, along with Portland Mayor Michael Brennan and other municipal leaders, condemned the governor’s comments at a rally last Saturday, and said their cities would continue to provide funds for the immigrants. Peter called Hilton’s stance “courageous.” He said he admires Hilton’s effort to speak out against the governor’s wishes, and said the issue is one of national importance.

“On this issue I have to support her 100 percent. She has broken the silence and that’s good,” he said. “The governor thinks driving the immigrant population from our state is the answer, but the answer is immigration reform. You can’t say that you are responding to the needs of your state by driving immigrant refugees to another state.”

Last week, Gov. Paul LePage threatened to cut off general assistance aid for municipalities that provide the funds to undocumented immigrants. The comments were met with criticism during a rally at Portland’s Deering Oaks Park Saturday.

The state reimburses municipalities between 50 and 90 percent of their spending on general assistance, which goes toward food and housing for those in need.

During the governor’s weekly radio address two weeks ago, he said, “I urge all Mainers to tell your city councilors and selectmen to stop handing out your money to illegals.”

Following the address, Maine Attorney General Janet Mills told municipalities to ignore LePage’s warnings. On Monday, the Maine Municipal Association, which gives legal advice to municipalities, announced legal action against the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for withholding state funds.

Peter said many of the city’s immigrants, much like the majority of Maine’s immigrant population, are not here as a first choice, but are simply here seeking “a place where they can have peace.”

“Now, that peace is being completely pushed away for them, even before they can take a breath before thinking about their next chapter,” he said.

Peter, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been in Maine for 23 years, and was the first immigrant to work in Portland’s general assistance program.

Peter said the International Christian Fellowship began on Munjoy Hill in Portland, but as the congregation grew, largely from an influx of immigrants who saw the church as a welcoming community, moved to Westbrook last year.

Bill Baker, Westbrook’s assistant city administrator for business and community relations, said Tuesday that Hilton’s position was “well thought out” and based on a “process of internal and external consultation, which we think yielded a position that is in the best interest of all Westbrook residents, including our population of immigrants and refugees who are most directly affected.”

Baker said that the debate on the issue has been complicated by the “inconsistency of positions” taken by key state officials, including LePage, the attorney general and others.

“It is our strongly held belief that our (general assistance) program serves people in need, who came here legally, and but for our slow and complicated immigration system, would be working and independent,” he said.

Baker added that city administration sees “a lot of misunderstanding of key issues around immigration and general assistance,” and that Westbrook officials plan to host an educational forum on the issue sometime in the next month or so.

Peter said he believes LePage’s comments were made to appeal to his constituents, but that he sees the governor as out of touch with the immigrant community.

He added that, as a state, Maine is aging, and should be “a welcoming state.”

“These people have left their home, and now they are here saying, ‘Where do we go again?’” he said.