Federal officials confirmed Wednesday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are working in Maine under an operation to target criminals statewide.
The immigration enforcement effort, dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” launched Tuesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Wednesday’s announcement was the first official confirmation of a wave of federal immigration enforcement in Maine since widespread rumors began days ago.
State and local leaders said last week that they were bracing for a surge in ICE agents across the state, though federal officials refused to confirm whether those rumors were true. Law enforcement officials also said they were in the dark about ICE’s plans.
Gov. Janet Mills and local leaders encouraged people to know their rights and urged people who plan to protest to do so peacefully.
Since the ICE operation began Tuesday, tensions have been high in parts of Maine — especially Greater Portland and Lewiston — as people report seeing masked agents, unmarked cars and immigration detentions.
Attendance numbers at Portland schools have declined. Some business owners and restaurateurs are making plans in case immigration officers come to their doors. Neighbors are alerting one another if they see any ICE activity.
DHS officials say the effort is targeting the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
“Governor Mills and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Maine have made it abundantly clear that they would rather stand with criminal illegal aliens than protect law-abiding American citizens,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
The statement also highlighted four people that ICE agents arrested in Maine on Tuesday, who DHS accused of committing crimes ranging from aggravated assault to operating under the influence of alcohol.
The federal agency did not reply to requests about how many people have been arrested in Maine so far. ICE Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said during an interview with Fox News on Tuesday that federal officers identified more than 1,000 targets in Maine and arrested about 50 people Tuesday.
