Upon the introduction of LD 1971, which limits the ability of local police to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — usurping both local control and the rule of law in Maine — Gov. Janet Mills and her administration had nothing to say about it. Mills stood idly by as it was passed by the Legislature, staying out of the debate both publicly and behind the scenes.

That’s typical of her tenure as governor. She avoids controversial issues whenever possible, only wading into battle when absolutely forced to do so. Take her confrontation with the Trump administration over transgender rights. She tried to avoid the fight completely, and only engaged in it when Trump specifically called her out over it in person. She did the same with this immigration bill, completely ignoring the legislation the entire time it was debated — and for the last six months since she put a hold on it.

Now, suddenly, she’s decided to allow the bill to become law without her signature — the most cowardly decision any governor can make. She didn’t advocate for or against it, she didn’t try to shape it. In the end, she didn’t decide to either veto it or sign it.

It’s the Maine equivalent of John Kerry saying he voted for something before he voted against it, or of being present but failing to vote on legislation when you’re a member of the House or the Senate.

She didn’t just let that bill become law, either. She also rescinded an executive order of former Gov. Paul LePage’s encouraging state officials to work with federal officials to enforce immigration laws. She didn’t have a problem with that executive order for the first six years of her administration but now, suddenly, she discovered it existed again and repealed it.

Sure, she claimed that her decision was a result of ICE’s supposedly “unacceptable” actions, but the fact of the matter is that Trump’s been tough on immigration since the first day he took office, not just since July. There’s been nothing that especially changed since the Legislature passed the law — not on the ground, at least.

Trump also made it very clear during the campaign that he planned to strictly enforce immigration laws, and he followed through on that promise thoroughly and immediately — unlike various other promises of his.

If Mills really were concerned about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, she could have repealed the LePage executive order the day Trump was sworn in and advocated for LD 1971. Instead, she sat on the sidelines ignoring the issue before wading into it almost a year into Trump’s second term.

What really did change since the beginning of 2025? Not the facts on the ground, nor the actions of the Trump administration. Those have been clear and consistent from the beginning. He also hasn’t taken a particularly special interest in Maine.

While there have been a few high-profile cases that have drawn local attention, he hasn’t deployed federal agents en masse here, unlike in, say, New Orleans or Chicago. He hasn’t sent the National Guard here. Mills could have kept safely ignoring the issue forever, and pushed the Legislature to pull LD 1971 for reconsideration. Instead, she let it become law.

There’s only one thing that changed since the year began and the bill was passed, and it doesn’t have anything to do with Trump. Instead, it has everything to do with Mills’ ambitions and one person standing in the way of them: an oyster farmer named Graham Platner. Democrats, wary of Mills personally and riven institutionally after seven years of her soporific leadership, were eagerly looking about for a fresh face — tattoo or no.

Clearly, Mills had to do something; she saw that after the red flag referendum she opposed passed easily. No matter what the polls, or conventional wisdom, say, she knew Platner posed a risk. So, she decided to pivot to the left by blithely letting this bill become law — and, like with her decision to sign the paid family leave bill, made sure to announce it in an op-ed in this paper.

Mills didn’t allow this bill to become law to keep Maine safe, or because the Trump administration had shifted tactics. She did it because she wanted to get elected to the U.S. Senate — and she knew she had to get the progressive base back on her side to do so.

At the end of the day, Mills’ top priority is clearly her own political career, not what’s best for Maine.