Immigration officials have wrapped up a sweep in Maine that netted hundreds of suspected illegal aliens in recent days following complaints from the state’s Republican senator.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a statement early Thursday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the state of Maine. 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,” added Collins, the lone Republican federal officeholder from New England. “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.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched Operation Catch of the Day targeting the Pine Tree State on Jan. 21.
As of Monday evening, DHS said more than 200 suspects had been taken into custody, including immigrations from Angola, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Sudan, accused of offenses including aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering a child’s welfare.
On Tuesday, following the Jan. 24 shooting death of Minneapolis anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti, Collins said she had asked Noem to “pause the operations in both Maine and Minnesota. I believe they should be reviewed and far more targeted in their scope.”
Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills had previously requested the Trump administration remove ICE agents from the state, claiming that many of those detained, “I think, are family members here in Maine, people who are working here in Maine, people who have children in the school system, people who have children in homes in Maine, people with no criminal record, and that’s concerning.”
Mills is running for the Democratic nomination to challenge Collins later this year, as the Republican seeks a sixth term.
