Controversy Over Somali Muslim Immigrant Communities in Small N.E. Town

October 12, 2002

Source: The Record

On October 12, 2002 The Record reported that "the mayor of Lewiston, Maine, on Friday backed away from his earlier statement that a recent, dramatic influx of more than 1,000 Somali refugees was creating an overwhelming financial burden in his city of 36,000. Following a meeting with elders from the Somali community, Mayor Larry Raymond vowed to work to reduce tensions with the hundreds of mostly Muslim families who have migrated to Maine's second-largest city."