Editor’s note: This live feed from Jan. 21 is no longer being updated. The Jan. 22 live updates can be found here.
Reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Maine spiked Tuesday — the start of an increase in ICE activity that has continued Wednesday.
In an interview with Fox News, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said officers had identified more than 1,000 targets in Maine. The network reported 50 arrests had been made Tuesday.
Read our updates from Tuesday here.
Here’s what else you need to know:
- Share your observations of ICE in Maine
- Homeland Security says ICE enforcement is targeting ‘criminal illegal aliens’
- Reports of ICE activity in Maine ramped up in Greater Portland, Lewiston
- Is Maine prepared if ICE protests get dangerous?
- Do ICE agents need a signed judicial warrant to enter private property? | Fact brief
- Maine pauses issuance of undercover license plates after request from border security
- A mother of 4 was detained in Portland after ICE officers followed her home
Our journalists are working to verify sightings and report events as they happen. Have a tip? Fill out this form, reach us on Signal at PressHeraldTips.295 or email [email protected]. Tips are confidential.
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6:20 p.m.: ICE agents detain 18-year-old USM student after minor car accident
ICE agents detained a 18-year-old student at the University of Southern Maine after a minor car crash Tuesday morning.
Jean-Pierre Obiang was on his way to USM, where he is studying accounting, when he called his mother, Sandrine Koumba, from the Westbrook Market Basket asking for proof of their car insurance, Koumba said in an interview Wednesday. The call was cut off after 36 seconds. Koumba was able to speak briefly with her son after multiple attempts to call him back, and he told her he was being detained by ICE agents.
Tiara Sandborn, the wife of the driver of the other car involved in the crash, said Obiang and her husband, Shawn Chastain, exchanged contact information and were about to drive away when three ICE officers showed up, saying they ran Obiang’s license plates and he was a person of interest, Sandborn said. Chastain tried to tell the agents that Obiang hadn’t done anything wrong, but they pushed him into his car.
Koumba said the car was registered in her name, not her son’s, and that he has no criminal history. A criminal background check on Obiang in Maine was not immediately returned Wednesday night.
“He had a license. He’s enrolled in school here. He was not engaged in any type of criminal behavior,” Sandborn said. “He had a minor accident that occurred that subjected him to be vulnerable and then basically kidnapped off the streets.”
Koumba and her family are asylum-seekers from Gabon, a nation on the West African coast that sits right on the equator. They have been living in Westbrook for three years.
Obiang was allowed one phone call and told his mother he had been moved to Burlington, Massachusetts. He was told he’d be moved to another facility the next day, but did not know where.
Read the full story here.
– Salomé Cloteaux
6 p.m. Gov. Janet Mills says state is monitoring ICE activity, committed to civil rights
Gov. Janet Mills responded to ICE operations in Maine Wednesday, saying her administration is committed to ensuring the safety and civil rights of Maine people are protected.
She said the state is working with municipal officials and organizations to monitor ICE activity.
“If the federal government has warrants, then it should show them,” Mills said in a written statement. “But if they are separating working mothers from young children, solely because they sought freedom here and have committed no crime, then the federal government is only sowing intimidation and fear and fostering division and suspicion among neighbors – none of which is welcome.”
Read the full story here.
– Rachel Ohm
5:50 p.m.: Lewiston mayor says ICE tactics causing damage to the state
In a statement Wednesday, Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline decried ICE’s enforcement efforts in Maine, which began ramping up Tuesday.
“ICE’s terror and intimidation tactics reflect a complete lack of humanity and concern for basic human welfare,” the statement said.
“These masked men with no regard for the rule of law are causing long term damage to our state and to our country. Lewiston stands for the dignity of all the people who call Maine home. We will never stop caring for our neighbors.”
– Joe Charpentier
5:45 p.m.: Maine woman interfered with local law enforcement assuming they were ICE, police say
A Maine woman interfered with Brewer Police activity, thinking they were U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, police say.
Mary Conmee, 63, of Orrington, has been served a court summons for disorderly conduct and obstructing government administration, the Brewer Police Department said in a social media post on Wednesday.
Officers were investigating a threat against Brewer schools Wednesday morning and staged near a Brewer residence to attempt to contact a person of interest. During the operation, Conmee “deliberately drove to the scene and interfered with police activity by repeatedly sounding an air horn, refusing lawful orders to leave, and yelling at expletives at officers,” the post stated.
“The woman stated that she ‘didn’t want ICE’ in her neighborhood,” the department’s notice said. “Her actions interfered with legitimate law enforcement operations and created a real risk to the investigating officers.”
Police later determined the person of interest was not involved in the school threat, the department said. The threat stemmed from similar “swatting” incidents at other Maine schools on Wednesday, police say, and there was no credible threat to Brewer schools.
– Drew Johnson
5:30 p.m.: Maine State Police won’t work with feds on immigration enforcement
Maine State Police are already following the policies outlined in a new law limiting the ability of local law enforcement to collaborate with federal immigration authorities — even though the law is not scheduled to take effect until this summer.
Gov. Janet Mills announced last month she would allow LD 1971, one of the most controversial bills of last year’s legislative session, to become law without her signature. The measure will prohibit state, county and local law enforcement officers from investigating, detaining, arresting or searching a person solely for immigration enforcement purposes.
LD 1971 is not scheduled to take effect until 90 days after the current legislative session ends, meaning its effective date is expected to come in mid-July. However, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck has already issued a directive to his agency implementing the underlying policies of the law, a spokesperson for the department said Wednesday.
“Directives are a regular part of the first responder world, and this one was made internally by the Commissioner and was not prompted by any specific event or federal activity,” spokesperson Shannon Moss said in an email.
Officers will still be able to work with federal agents on criminal investigations and task forces, so long as the primary purpose is not immigration enforcement.
However, the law would not allow local officers to be placed under the supervision of federal authorities for the purpose of working on immigration enforcement, or allow police to use federal immigration officers as interpreters. Local police also won’t be allowed to transfer a person to immigration authorities without a court order or criminal warrant.
Read the full story here.
– Rachel Ohm
5:20 p.m.: Portland officials decry ICE tactics as enforcement effort enters second day
City officials in Maine’s largest city questioned the need for increased immigration enforcement during a Wednesday press conference as they attempted to reassure a fearful public.
Mayor Mark Dion and members of the City Council said they continue to hear from frightened and traumatized community members as reports of people being detained in public places mounted this week in Portland and neighboring cities.
“They see this action as unpredictable and a threat to their families,” Dion said about constituents and members of the immigrant community in Portland.
He said officials are doing everything they can to direct resources to the affected communities, along with reiterating their rights and responsibilities if approached by federal immigration officers.
Several officials urged residents to observe and record enforcement actions without interfering.
“The best thing you can do is be the best possible witness,” Dion said, reiterating his statement last week challenging “the need for a paramilitary approach to the enforcement of federal statutes.”
Read the full story here.
– Andrew Rice
4:40 p.m.: Susan Collins issues statement on increased ICE arrests in Maine
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, the lone Republican in Maine’s delegation, issued a statement Wednesday afternoon on the initial set of ICE arrests in the state.
“Immigrants have long been an important part of our state and they continue to make valuable contributions to our communities. People who are in this country legally should not be targets of ICE investigations. They should be able to continue to go to work, school, and other public places and carry on with their normal lives. If for some reason an individual who is here legally is improperly detained, they should seek assistance through advocacy networks and the legal system,” she said in the statement.
“There are people in Maine and elsewhere who have entered this country illegally and who have engaged in criminal activity. They could be subject to arrest and deportation pursuant to the laws of the United States, and people who are exercising the right to peacefully gather and protest their government should be careful not to interfere with law enforcement efforts while doing so.
“I have advocated for providing body cameras and de-escalation training for ICE personnel. At this time of heightened tensions, these steps could help improve trust, accountability, and safety. Our proposed funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security includes $20 million for body cameras and $2 million for de-escalation training, which could help protect both ICE agents and the general public. I hope that Congress will adopt these measures quickly.”
Last week, Collins said she supported the deportation of criminals but did not “see the rationale for a large number of ICE agents to come” to Maine.
Read the full story here.
– Billy Kobin
4:35 p.m.: Court orders ICE to give reason for detaining Portland asylum seeker
A Portland resident from Angola who has filed for asylum is asking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to explain why he was detained during a routine check-in Tuesday at the field office in Scarborough.
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered ICE to provide a cause for the detainment of Yanick Joao Carneiro by noon the following day, court records show.
The decision from U.S. District Judge Stacey Neumann came a day after Carneiro and his attorney filed a petition for a judge to consider whether he is being jailed unlawfully. Neumann also temporarily ordered that Carneiro not be transferred out of Maine “to provide the Court with a fair opportunity to review the merits of the petition and rule on any contested issues of jurisdiction.”
According to the petition, Carneiro entered the country from Angola in April 2023 and is not a U.S. citizen. The Department of Homeland Security then detained him according to the petition, but he was subsequently released. Carneiro applied for asylum, according to the order, and has a hearing on the matter scheduled for November 2027 in Massachusetts.
Read the full story here.
– Drew Johnson
3:40 p.m.: MaineHealth monitoring increased ICE activity
MaineHealth spokesperson John Porter released a statement on Wednesday in response to questions about hospital staffing in the wake of increased ICE presence that the hospital system “continues to monitor reports of increased federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the community.”
“Our focus remains on supporting our care team and delivering patient-centered care without disruption,” Porter said. “While we are experiencing higher than usual call-outs in some segments of our workforce, we have been able to address any operational challenges that have arisen with no impact on patient care.”
– Joe Lawlor
2:55 p.m.: Jared Golden says ICE enforcement is legitimate, as long as it targets criminal activity
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, said Wednesday he supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations that ramped up in his hometown of Lewiston and in the Portland area this week as long as the detention efforts focus on people “engaged in criminal activities.”
Golden issued a brief statement Wednesday afternoon after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed ICE agents are focusing on Maine under “Operation Catch of the Day,” which launched Tuesday.
“So long as this remains a targeted law enforcement operation focused on individuals who have engaged in criminal activities, then I believe it legitimately serves the public interest,” Golden said in a statement.
Read the full story here.
– Billy Kobin
2:50 p.m.: Owner of East Ender restaurant says he’s trying to make staff feel safe
Karl Deuben, who owns East Ender on Middle Street in Portland, said he has sent a message to his staff about ICE’s presence in Maine, posted signs delineating the restaurant’s public and private spaces, reposted information from the ACLU, clarified the definition of a warrant, and reminded staff to call him immediately if ICE officers enter the building.
“The most important thing I mentioned to our staff is that interacting with ICE outside the business is different than inside the business,” he said. “They do have a legal right to be on premise and so we need to remember that.”
“The last thing I want is for there to be a specific type of adversarial energy that causes our staff or the public to be in any type of unforeseen danger,” Deuben said. “The goal is to de-escalate as opposed to escalate.”
Deuben compared the current situation to COVID, when he strove to give his staff accurate information.
Of a potential visit from ICE agents, he said, “my goal is if they come in, they’re in and they’re out. “
– Peggy Grodinsky
1:55 p.m.: Attendance down in Portland schools as ICE enforcement ramps up
Attendance was down in Portland Public Schools Tuesday as immigration enforcement activities increased in the city and across the state this week.
The district’s overall attendance rate was down to 84.4% on Jan. 20, compared to 89.4% last Friday, a district spokesperson said, although she noted that the reasons for absences are not always clear from the data.
Portland is home to the state’s largest and most diverse school district, where nearly 30% of students are English language learners. The district already saw impacts on attendance early last week, when rumors of ICE’s arrival in Maine began to circulate.
– Riley Board
1:50 p.m.: Homeland Security says heightened enforcement targeting ‘criminal illegal aliens’
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently enacted “Operation Catch of the Day,” a heightened immigration enforcement effort across Maine.
The federal agency said the operation is “targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens,” according to an emailed statement from the Department of Homeland Security.
“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.
Federal officials would not immediately confirm how many people had been arrested by ICE agents so far, though they highlighted four people arrested in Maine Tuesday who are also accused of crimes such as aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
Fox News, during an interview with Department of Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde, said nearly 50 people had been arrested in Maine as part of ICE enforcement efforts.
Read the full story here.
– Morgan Womack
1:35 p.m.: Portland schools pause off-campus lunches for students
Portland Public Schools is pausing its off-campus lunch option starting Wednesday to minimize “the chance of students being potentially caught up in enforcement actions as they move around the city on their own to buy lunch,” the superintendent said in a Tuesday letter.
All of the district’s high schools will switch from an “open campus” lunch, allowing students to buy lunch off-campus, to a “closed campus,” beginning Jan. 21 and continuing indefinitely, Superintendent Ryan Scallon announced. The schools will stock extra school lunches, but also encourage students to pack their own.
He said for the time being, off-site educational programming, field trips, recess and extracurricular activities will continue as usual.
“We continue to expect that our schools will not be the focus of immigration enforcement, but if there is action that impacts a school, we will communicate with families and staff as soon as possible,” Scallon wrote.
ICE arrests ramped up in Maine’s largest city Wednesday; a mother of four was detained Wednesday morning after dropping one of her children off at Portland High School, the Maine Monitor reported.
Read the superintendent’s letter here.
– Riley Board
1:30 p.m.: Pingree says federal agencies directed not to speak to members of Congress
Gabrielle Mannino, spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, said federal agencies have been under a directive not to speak to congressional offices since President Trump took office.
“Since early December, the USCIS asylum office with jurisdiction over Maine has forwarded all of our constituent and policy inquiries to USCIS Headquarters for response, which we have yet to receive answers to,” Mannino said.
“It’s interesting that (ICE) let the Fox news crew ride along with them, but they won’t talk to us. It’s been like this for the past year, not just with (current activities in Maine) … So, we’re kind of in the dark just like everyone else.”
Mannino said the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum office has not provided substantive responses to inquiries from Pingree’s office since the Trump administration issued the January 2025 asylum pause and country-specific adjudication bans.
“ICE’s Office of Congressional Relations continues to provide empty responses and will not provide any information to our office about a constituent’s location, well-being, or reason for arrest without a specific privacy waiver signed by the detained individual,” Mannino said.
“When we pointed out that access to detainees is often challenging and people are advised not to sign anything in detention, our office was told that we should consider collecting these privacy waivers proactively.”
Read the full story here.
– Joe Charpentier
1:20 p.m.: Portland’s Parkside residents alert neighbors to ICE’s presence
When residents of Portland’s Parkside neighborhood saw six ICE agents knocking at the door of a multi-unit residential building on Grant Street, they made some noise.
Citizens threw on jackets and ran to the sidewalk to blow whistles, alerting others that ICE was in the area. Other residents began honking their car horns, drawing more people out of their homes.
The agents left the building at 134 Grant when they did not get a response at the door. They did not detain anyone, and left in a black sedan, followed by several cars honking at them.
After the agents left the scene, a dozen people congregated at the corner of Grant and Mellen Street to talk about the encounter and other ICE operations in the area.
Wylliam Wold, who lives in the neighborhood, called the ICE activity hotline, which is coordinated by the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, to share the number of vehicles, the location and the uniforms the agents were wearing.
“I’ve been seeing flyers, talking with my community. I knew there was an ICE hotline and there’s an acronym, SALUTE, to remember what details to be giving when you do call it,” said Wold, 32.
“So that was just kind of my only thought: Here there’s nothing else I can do but call the hotline, share information.”
– Sophie Burchell
12:40 p.m.: Portland restaurant owner says her staff is anxious about ICE enforcement
Pastry Chef Ilma Lopez, who co-owns the Ugly Duckling and Chaval in Portland’s West End with her husband, said she has trained her staff how to handle any ICE presence at either restaurant.
“You can tell them, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m not allowed to talk to you. Let me just call our manager or let me just call our owner.’ You call me and I’ll take care of it.”
Lopez, who grew up in Venezuela, became an American citizen about a decade ago. “I’m 100% Latina and I’m proud of it,” she said. “I came to the States because in my country, it was really hard to make a living and we didn’t have freedom of speech. So 22 years ago, I came here and in a million years did it ever ever even cross my mind that we will be in this situation in America?”
Lopez said most of her restaurant staff come from North America, and all work in the U.S. legally. “We have done everything that the law asks us. I’ve been dealing with immigration lawyers for years. I follow every single step.”
She said the staff, nevertheless, is anxious. “Some people are anxious because they’re angry and upset. Some people are anxious because they don’t know what’s going to happen to them or to their friends. It’s a lot of question marks.”
– Peggy Grodinsky
11:25 a.m.: Gorham state representative says ICE officers are violating due process
Rep. Ellie Sato, D-Gorham, said the surge in immigration enforcement is harming Mainers who are skipping school, work and health appointments out of “fear of being disappeared.”
In a written statement, Sato, a member of the Legislature’s Judicial Committee, said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are violating Mainers’ constitutional rights.
“What we are seeing on our newsfeeds everyday is a lack of due process,” Sato said. “It’s critical for everyone to know their rights, and how to respond when raids or arrests happen, both as bystanders, and as friends and family.”
Sato is sponsoring an emergency bill that would bar immigration enforcement officers from entering nonpublic areas within schools, public libraries, health care facilities and other locations without a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
– Daniel Kool
11 a.m.: Lewiston resident reports ICE presence on Pierce Street
A migrant worker living on Pierce Street in Lewiston said ICE officers were present in their neighborhood Wednesday, with agents knocking on doors at nearby buildings Tuesday and again Wednesday morning.
The person, who asked not to be named because of safety concerns and declined to share their country of origin, said they saw a neighbor being questioned by agents.
“(Agents) were walking around here (Tuesday), and they caught him and interrogated him, but they didn’t take him away,” the resident said. “They didn’t take anyone.”
The resident said fears of ICE in their neighborhood and throughout the city are high, with many neighbors staying home, locking their doors and ignoring knocks.
“Even when they think you are here, you leave them alone,” they said. “Why are they here? We’re here to work, and we don’t hurt anyone.”
— Joe Charpentier
10:20 a.m.: Westbrook mayor denounces ICE activity
Westbrook Mayor David Morse issued a statement on Facebook Wednesday morning denouncing ICE activity in the city. He wrote that ICE agents detained people in Westbrook on Tuesday and on Wednesday morning, and at least one U.S. citizen who was peacefully observing was targeted by a masked federal law enforcement officer.
“This is outrageous behavior from a federal authority, and I stand by our citizens’ right to peacefully observe and/or protest,” the statement read.
— Salomé Cloteaux
9:15 a.m.: Portland’s parks department says it can’t restrict federal officers from public spaces
Portland city officials say they can’t restrict federal law enforcement from public spaces like city-operated parking garages, City Hall, Monument Square and Payson Park, according to an email from the parks department.
But when recreation programs are in session, officials say law enforcement officers cannot enter the space unless they’re invited or have a warrant.
“Many recreation programs, such as group swim lessons and Junior Celtics Basketball, take place in spaces that are reserved exclusively for pre-registered participants. During these programs, only enrolled participants and their caregivers are permitted in the program area,” according to an email sent by the parks department Tuesday morning.
City staff will inform anyone who tries to enter a recreation program area that space is limited to registered participants and caregivers, according to the email.
— Morgan Womack
9:10 a.m.: South Portland school board cancels Thursday forum because of families’ fears
The South Portland board of education cancelled a public forum on Thursday to hear community members’ input about the upcoming budget because too many families with children in the schools were afraid to go out and attend, according to Board Chair Rosemarie De Angelis.
The school system has issued policies addressing what to do if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up on school grounds. The policy directs staff members to keep students away from immigration officers and direct agents towards the main office if they enter school property, according to a copy of the policy obtained by a public records request.
Read more about South Portland schools’ preparations here.
— Dana Richie
9 a.m.: DHS begins ‘Operation Catch of the Day’ in Maine, reports more than 1,000 targets
In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said officers had identified more than 1,000 targets in Maine.
The network, which boasted “exclusive access,” reported nearly 50 arrests in Maine as enforcement picked up.
Officials have dubbed the surge “Operation Catch of the Day,” the network reported.
Hyde lamented a lack of cooperation by — and open criticism from — local leaders. City and state officials have warned of the impending surge for days.
“They ban their law enforcement from partnering or even communicating with ICE,” Hyde said on Fox. “And when law enforcement doesn’t communicate with law enforcement, that puts our communities in danger.”
— Daniel Kool