U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced the launch of an anti-immigration campaign in Maine.
Called “Operation Catch of the Day,” the effort will span throughout the state and target “illegal aliens” and criminals, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The operation follows several other enforcement surges led by DHS, including “Operation Patriot” in Massachusetts, “Metro Surge” in Minnesota, and “Midway Blitz” in Chicago.
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Maine has notable African refugee communities in its largest cities. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has leveraged a fraud investigation involving Somali nationals living in Minnesota to justify its operations in the state.
ICE’s presence in the northeastern state, known for its seafood and rugged coastline, has already ruffled feathers among residents and leaders alike, with Gov. Janet Mills and other Democrats refusing to help ICE agents obscure the identity of their vehicles by issuing undercover licence plates.
Mills said in a statement on Wednesday that “if federal agents have warrants, they should show them, but if they are separating parents who have committed no crime from their children, they are only sowing intimidation and fear and fostering division and suspicion among neighbours.”
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While announcing the operation in Maine, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said under President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, “we are no longer allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens.”
DHS says the arrests include some of the “worst of the worst,” such as “criminal illegal aliens charged and convicted of horrific crimes, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child.”
The department also accused Gov. Mills and “fellow sanctuary” politicians of siding with criminal offenders and undocumented individuals instead of American citizens.
ICE’s presence in Maine comes amid weeks of demonstrations in Minneapolis, Min., prompted by the killing of 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good, who died after being fatally shot by an ICE agent.
The same day, Liam Ramos, a five-year-old boy, was detained with his father on the driveway of their home by immigration officials.
U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, visiting Minneapolis to “support” ICE agents, told reporters on Thursday that the agency was targeting Liam’s father.
“Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death?” he asked.
“If the argument is that you can’t arrest people who have violated the law because they have children, then every single parent is going to be completely given immunity from ever being the subject of law enforcement,” Vance said.
In a news conference in Minneapolis on Thursday, Commander At Large For Customs and Border Protection Assets, Greg Bovino, said 10,000 illegal immigrants and violent criminals had been arrested by ICE in Minneapolis during its operation, a number Noem said was “a huge victory for public safety.”
“They are not random and they are not political,” Bovino added.
— with files from the Associated Press
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