A day after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents officially began their aggressive “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden issued a one-sentence statement that set him apart from almost every other elected Democrat.
As long as ICE was arresting criminals, its operation “legitimately serves the public interest,” Golden said Jan. 21 amid a flurry of reports about agents in the Portland area and his hometown of Lewiston seizing immigrants with legal status and no criminal records. The next day, Golden was one of only seven House Democrats to vote for a spending bill that included billions in new funding for ICE.
In vintage Golden fashion, his statement and his vote frustrated Democrats who were hoping to see their leaders take forceful actions against ICE. But it was also not a surprise to those who have observed him and his tendency to vote with Republicans on certain issues. His “Blue Dog” brand of centrist politics has helped the Democrat hold the pro-Trump district covering Maine’s northern half. (On Thursday, officials said ICE was ending its sweeping Maine operation.)
Golden is not seeking reelection this year to the 2nd District, which he has represented since 2019. If his moderation on ICE was evidence of a winning formula for Democrats running in Trump-leaning seats, you wouldn’t know it from his potential successors.
State Auditor Matt Dunlap, ex-Capitol Hill operative Jordan Wood and state Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, the three chief Democratic contenders running for the seat, all used stronger words than Golden to condemn ICE’s actions in Maine — and called for the agency to undergo significant changes.
But the Democrats’ strategy comes with risks. A Democrat will represent the 2nd District only by beating the Trump-endorsed former Republican Gov. Paul LePage in November. Any move to win over progressives in a primary could carry risks with a more moderate electorate in the general election.
Still, in January, public approval of Trump’s immigration actions fell to their lowest point since his return to the White House, with 39% of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll approving of the crackdown while 53% disapproved. A Fox News poll this month also found that 59% of voters think ICE is too aggressive, up 10 points from July. Agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January.
Dunlap, a former secretary of state and Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine leader from Old Town who joined the race last year when Golden, 43, was still mulling reelection, said ICE “is completely out of control, and they have to be brought to heel.” He supports banning masks, camouflage uniforms and warrantless enforcement actions.
“ICE is not operating like an accountable law enforcement agency in any meaningful way, and that’s not just my opinion — it’s the assessment of countless local law enforcement officers here in Maine and across the country,” Dunlap, 62, said in a statement.
Wood, who switched from the U.S. Senate race to the 2nd District contest after Golden shared his plan to not seek reelection, said in a statement that ICE agents need to be held to the same standard as state, county and local police: “no masks, clear identification and visible badge numbers, and no unlawful searches or seizures.”
“In America, no one is above the law and I believe the actions and tactics of ICE agents under the Trump administration must be held accountable,” said Wood, a 36-year-old Lewiston native who indicated last year that he and his family would move back to the district after living in Bristol in Maine’s 1st District. “Congress must exercise its oversight authority and conduct independent investigations.”
Baldacci, 60, made similar calls for body cameras and no masks in an interview while also saying ICE needs restructuring, calling it “a rogue force for a lawless administration” that is “terrorizing everyday Americans in their normal pursuit of civil liberties.”
“More than just reform, I think we’re going to have to reconstitute immigration control and enforcement in an agency that has credibility, that runs in the rule of law and understands how to enforce the law without having to escalate a situation into a deadly use of force when that could be avoided,” Baldacci said.
LePage, 77, who moved back to Maine from Florida to run for the 2nd District, is feeling confident about his chances of taking back the district for Republicans, who narrowly control the U.S. House. He does not seem to think supporting ICE carries much political risk in the district. LePage wrote in a Facebook post last week that ICE was in Maine to “take illegal aliens with heinous criminal histories into custody.”
“Sanctuary city policies created this mess, and now the federal government is stepping in to fix it,” LePage said. “ICE is federal law enforcement and they should be treated as such. There is no need to obstruct or interfere with lawful criminal investigations.”
