Portland, Maine, Embraces Asylum-Seekers As A Key To Economic Growth

Portland, Maine, is known for its lobster rolls, lighthouses and for being in a state with a coastline longer than California’s. The city has long been a tourist hub, but for some of the world’s most vulnerable, Portland is more than just “Vacation Land.”

Manta Wewe is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. She is looking for an apartment to rent in downtown Portland, and her checklist is simple.

“At the moment, I’m not worried about any luxuries. My priority is having a place to live when I leave the expo,” said Wewe.

When Wewe and over 200 asylum-seekers arrived in Portland in June, the city turned its basketball arena, the Portland Exposition Building, into a temporary shelter for the migrants.

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