In “Long Way Home,” the Portland Press Herald told the story of the large influx of asylum seekers arriving in Maine in recent years. Reporters and photographers spent several months learning why people fled their homelands – mostly in Central Africa – and the arduous journeys they made to Maine, many thousands of miles from […]

In ‘Long Way Home,’ Press Herald reporters and photographers told the story of the large influx of asylum seekers arriving in Maine in recent years, fleeing their homelands and embarking on dangerous journeys to make a new life in Maine.

Slowly and painstakingly, African asylum seekers build new lives in Maine, and often find ways to help those who arrive after them.

State leaders and residents are far from unified on how much Maine can afford to spend to support asylum seekers – and on how much responsibility it has to do so.

Many people who arrived in Maine long before the current wave of asylum seekers are still waiting for their cases to be heard – and success is not at all guaranteed. The waiting can mean years of anxiety, depression and uncertainty.

Asylum seekers new to Portland spend much time navigating red tape and waiting: for hearings, work permits, English classes and a place to call home.

About the series A large wave of asylum seekers sought refuge in Maine in 2019, and the state is seeing many more arrive this year. Over 1,000 asylum seekers have come to Portland since January. The city’s shelters are full, temporary housing fills up immediately, and migrants are being put up in local hotels as […]