SOUTH PORTLAND — As immigrants throughout Maine brace for a potential surge in immigration enforcement, a group of 30 new Americans swore their oath to the United States in a naturalization ceremony Friday afternoon.
The new citizens filled a large room in the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Portland field office, repeating after Director Brandee Pryor, who recited the naturalization oath from memory.
In unison, they renounced allegiance to their former homes and vowed to defend the country “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” They held their right hands and faced a crowd of seated family, friends and members of the public who came simply to observe. Many stood with tears in their eyes.
“Congratulations,” Pryor said, as the room broke into applause. “You are all now citizens of the United States.”
The cheery scene came in stark contrast to the anxieties that have swept through much of Maine’s immigrant community.
For days, state and local leaders have warned that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could conduct widespread action in Portland and Lewiston in the coming weeks, but federal officials have refused to confirm any plans.
MAINE PREPARES
Gov. Janet Mills, as well as leaders in Lewiston, Portland and other communities across the state, say they’re bracing for a surge in agents, even as federal officials maintain that they cannot disclose future operations.
Mills said in a video statement this week that she’s directed local officials to be prepared for increased ICE presence and warned federal agents that provocative tactics that “undermine the civil rights of Maine residents” are not welcome.
Jacqueline Sartoris, the district attorney for Cumberland County, said Friday that she was willing to prosecute unlawful use of force by ICE agents. In a written statement, she said that “While the bar to prosecute federal officers is high, it is hardly insurmountable.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Friday morning that the agency is always enforcing laws across the country, including in Maine.
“Under the leadership of Secretary (Kristi) Noem, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations are conducting operations to identify, arrest, remove criminals who are defrauding the American people in Maine, Minnesota and across the country,” the statement read.
In Minnesota, the Trump administration has for weeks targeted the Somali community as part of what federal officials have called their largest Department of Homeland Security operation ever. Federal agents shot and killed a protester in Minneapolis last week, prompting numerous protests as agents conduct door-to-door searches.
Somali residents of Maine have expressed fear that they could be among the next targets. In December, President Donald Trump called Somali immigrants “garbage” — drawing swift condemnation from Democrats, advocacy groups and others.
CEREMONIES DISRUPTED ELSEWHERE
Before Friday’s ceremony in South Portland, videos of Noem played on a loop in the USCIS waiting room. The secretary warned of harsh consequences for immigrants who enter the country illegally and urged those who already had to self-deport.
“Follow the law and you’ll find opportunity,” Noem said through subtitles. “Break it and you’ll find consequences.”
On the other side of the room, a young girl read aloud from a picture book as her parents awaited their oath.
Naturalization interviews and ceremonies have been canceled across the country because of new restrictions on immigration brought forward by Trump. In early December, a number of immigrants approved to be naturalized were denied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials at a ceremony at Faneuil Hall in Boston because of their countries of origin, according to WGBH.
Several countries were added to a list of restricted nations of origin via a proclamation from Trump last month. The 19 countries considered to be “high risk” by the administration are primarily located in Africa and the Middle East. The proclamation also added “partial restrictions” to some countries, including Cuba and Venezuela, and “entry limitations” to over a dozen others.
On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department announced it would stop processing immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Somalia, Iran and Russia, The Associated Press reported.
But Friday’s ceremony in South Portland went on without interruption.
NEW CITIZENS
In her remarks to the group, Pryor openly celebrated America’s diversity, its history as a landing pad for refugees and its constant flow of new arrivals. She gave enthusiastic speeches, punctuated with bursts of applause.
“We are all in community today,” Pryor said.
Representatives from the Maine Department of the Secretary of State sat in the back of the room, waiting to help the new citizens register to vote.
The new citizens represented 17 former home countries, from Canada to Turkey to Uganda, she said. As she read the full list, Pryor paused to applaud each country “of former nationality.”
“I don’t think people are aware of, basically, the diversity that exists in Maine,” she told the group.
In her closing remarks, Pryor asked the group to think of the United States like a house.
“And like any house, what matters most is not just how it looks from the outside, but what it’s built on,” Pryor said. “In America, that foundation is diversity. Diversity is not an afterthought in the American story.”
Immediately after she concluded, several new Americans began filling out their voter registrations.
Staff Writers Drew Johnson, Morgan Womack and Emily Allen contributed to this report.
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