Sen. Collins claims ICE will end enhanced operations in Maine
PORTLAND, Maine (WGME) -- Senator Susan Collins (R - Maine) claims ICE is ending its enhanced operations in Maine.
Collins says this announcement comes after she communicated several times with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine,” said Senator Collins. “There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here. I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state. I appreciate the Secretary's willingness to listen to and consider my recommendations and her personal attention to the situation in Maine. ICE and Customs and Border Patrol will continue their normal operations that have been ongoing here for many years. I will continue to work with the Secretary on efforts to end illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other transnational criminal activity.”
The Department of Homeland Security said they were working to arrest 1,400 people in Maine who they said are here illegally. DHS labeled the effort "Operation Catch of the Day."
So far, DHS claims they made over 200 arrests since increasing operations in Maine.
In Lewiston, one of the cities targeted by ICE, Mayor Carl Sheline called the scale-down welcome news, describing the agency’s operations as “disastrous” for the city and others.
“ICE operations in Maine have failed to improve public safety and have caused lasting damage to our communities. We will continue working to ensure that those who were wrongfully detained by ICE are returned to us,” said Sheline, who leads a city where the charter requires the mayoral position to be nonpartisan.
Mayor Mark Dion issued the following statement in regards to the status of ICE operations in Portland:
“I want to recognize our residents for quickly and loudly speaking out against the actions of ICE in our community, and for all the ways in which they banded together to support those most affected. I believe their collective work is what got us to this point. That being said, even if it is true that ICE will no longer be conducting a major operation here, it does not make up for the damage already done – the constitutional rights that were violated, the families torn apart, and the many questions that remain unanswered. This will continue to have lasting effects for many of our residents. It also does not mean that ICE agents are completely gone, and so I would encourage our community to remain vigilant and continue to look out for one another.”
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin last week claimed some of the arrests were of people “convicted of horrific crimes including aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child.”
However, according to the Associated Press, court records painted a slightly different story. While some had been convicted of felonies, others were detainees with unresolved immigration proceedings or who were arrested but never convicted of a crime.
- Also read: Report: Single mother of 4 in ICE custody
Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement in response to reports that the DHS has ended "Operation Catch of the Day" in Maine, saying in part:
"I cannot independently confirm this announcement because the Department of Homeland Security has not provided my office with basic information about this operation, despite repeated requests for weeks.
If these enhanced operations have in fact ceased, that may reduce the visible federal presence in our state. But I think it is important that people understand what we saw during this operation: individuals who are legally allowed to be in the United States, whether by lawful presence or an authorized period of stay, following the rules, and being detained anyway.
That is not limited to this one operation. That has been the pattern of this Administration’s immigration enforcement over the past year, and there is no indication that policy has changed.
The unfortunate reality is, ending this surge and removing additional officers does not mean a return to how immigration enforcement functioned in Maine 'for many years.' What we have seen over the past year is radically different. The standard now appears to be broad, aggressive detentions and removals that do not distinguish between people who are here unlawfully, and people who are awaiting decisions on pending cases or have another valid status."
Governor Janet Mills released a statement on the status of ICE operations in Maine:
“The reported end of ICE’s ‘enhanced operation’ in Maine does not end the pain and suffering that they have inflicted on communities across our state — people who have been terrorized, mothers who have been separated from their children, businesses who have been threatened, all by their own government.
We still do not know critical details about the 200 individuals ICE says it has detained, many of whom appear to be here legally, who have no criminal record and who are not ‘the worst of the worst.’ The people of Maine deserve to know the identities of every person taken from here, the legal justification for doing so, where they are being held, and what the Federal government’s plan for them are.
This operation and the tactics of Federal agents across the nation - including the killing of two American citizens in Minnesota - demand accountability from Congress. That begins with removing Kristi Noem — which multiple Republicans have now called for — and Congress rejecting the Department of Homeland Security funding bill until there are measures in place that prohibit ICE’s lawless, dangerous conduct and their abuses of power, which are entirely contrary to good law enforcement practices and standards. Until there are substantive measures and changes in place, no state – including Maine – is protected from the weaponization of Federal law enforcement agencies against its own citizens by the Trump Administration.
I am incredibly proud of the people of Maine who defended our values and who supported those who were afraid to leave their homes, as well as the small businesses who supported and fought to protect the rights of their employees and their families.”
CBS13 asked DHS multiple times for a complete list of all people detained in Maine and what they're charged with. DHS has not provided that information.
This story will be updated.
