U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have detained more than 200 people in Maine since a surge of federal activity began last week, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said those detained include four people who are accused of crimes ranging from aggravated assault to operating under the influence of alcohol.
But those four apprehensions occurred Tuesday — the first day of ICE’s operation in the state — and the federal agency did not respond to questions about who else has been detained since then.
Despite DHS saying that “Operation Catch of the Day” is focused on criminals who are “the worst of the worst,” state and local officials and community members have said many of the people detained so far are either citizens, in the country legally or have no significant criminal records. Those include an 18-year-old college student detained at a Westbrook grocery store, a Cumberland County corrections officer with a “squeaky clean” record whose arrest was criticized by the county sheriff, and a civil engineer for a Portland firm who witnesses said was detained by masked agents who smashed his car window.
Spokespeople for DHS and ICE did not respond to follow-up questions about the 200-plus arrests and declined a reporter’s request for an interview about the apprehensions.
On Thursday, federal immigration officials said they had made more than 100 arrests since the surge in ICE agents’ presence in Maine three days prior.
Much of the ramped-up immigration activity has been focused on Greater Portland — including Biddeford, South Portland and Westbrook — and Lewiston. The areas are home to the largest portions of Maine’s immigrant population.
Over the weekend, Gov. Janet Mills demanded the Trump administration remove ICE agents from the state, as crowds of anti-ICE protesters gathered in both Lewiston and Portland.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less