U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday morning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ended its large-scale operation in Maine just over a week after federal officials launched what they dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day.”

The Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, Collins said in a statement, but “there are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here.”

But immigrant advocates say they’re still telling community members to stay vigilant, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said Thursday that she had not been able to confirm that the operation has ended.

Collins, in her statement, said ICE and Border Patrol will continue their normal operations in the state.

Federal officials said the intensified immigration effort, which started last week, was meant to target the “worst of the worst” and has resulted in at least 206 arrests. DHS leaders said they had a list of more than 1,400 targets in Maine.

Local and state officials and families, however, said some people with misdemeanors or no criminal records were apprehended during the operation, including asylum seekers, an 18-year-old student, a civil engineer and two corrections officers.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said in a statement Thursday that Mainers deserve to know more about the people who have been detained, noting that many of them appear to be in the U.S. legally.

“The reported end of ICE’s ‘enhanced operation’ in Maine does not end the pain and suffering that they have inflicted on communities across our state — people who have been terrorized, mothers who have been separated from their children, businesses who have been threatened, all by their own government,” Mills said.

ICE’s arrests have also been criticized as teams of masked agents shattered windows, left vehicles running and abandoned on roadsides, and dragged people into unmarked vehicles — tactics that the Cumberland County sheriff called “bush-league policing.”

The operation’s impacts have rippled out across the state, with an intense sense of fear gripping many communities. Thousands of students have been absent from school, and some businesses — especially those run by or catering to immigrants — temporarily closed their doors in fear of staff and customers being targeted by ICE. U.S. citizens have been carrying their passports, saying they’re afraid of being racially profiled and detained.

Neighbors, friends and volunteers have built support systems for those affected, forming carpool groups for school and bringing food to people’s homes. Activists have led several protests, including late-night noisemaking rallies outside hotels believed to be hosting ICE agents; meanwhile, many residents built a rapid response network to monitor enforcement activity, and some say they were threatened by ICE simply for observing.

Maine immigrant advocacy groups launched an ICE activity hotline last year, which saw a significant surge in calls during the first week of the federal operation in Maine. Areas with the most reported ICE sightings that week included Portland, South Portland and Westbrook, as well as Lewiston and Scarborough.

LOCAL LEADERS, ADVOCATES REACT CAUTIOUSLY

Pingree, who represents Maine’s southern 1st District in Congress, said Collins’ announcement didn’t assuage her concerns.

“If these enhanced operations have in fact ceased, that may reduce the visible federal presence in our state,” the congresswoman said in a written statement Thursday morning. “But I think it is important that people understand what we saw during this operation: individuals who are legally allowed to be in the United States, whether by lawful presence or an authorized period of stay, following the rules, and being detained anyway.”

“That is not limited to this one operation. That has been the pattern of this Administration’s immigration enforcement over the past year, and there is no indication that policy has changed.”

Pingree said immigration officials have not responded to requests for more information from her office or Sen. Angus King’s.

Portland Mayor Mark Dion said Thursday morning he was still trying to confirm the news.

“If it’s true, it’s great news for the state of Maine,” Dion said. “However, we need to do the work to confirm that it is the case.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline also said he welcomed the news, if it’s true.

“ICE operations in Maine have failed to improve public safety and have caused lasting damage to our communities,” he said in a written statement. “We will continue working to ensure that those who were wrongfully detained by ICE are returned to us.”

Sheline added that although the enhanced operation might be over, residents should remember that immigration enforcement will continue.

“We need to remain vigilant, continue to check on our neighbors, and take common sense steps to keep ourselves safe,” he said.

Mufalo Chitam, executive director of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, said the update was confusing. She said she is worried that targeted operations will still continue in Maine because ICE agents initially came to the state with a list of 1,400 people to apprehend.

For now, she is cautioning the community to “stay put” while the organization confirms what this news means.

Brendan McQuade, a University of Southern Maine associate professor and one of the founding members of the No ICE for ME campaign, said organizers are cautiously optimistic but remain skeptical. He said hearing Collins’ statement that normal ICE activity is still ongoing “leaves the door open” for continued operations.

Spokespeople for King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and for U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, D-2nd District, did not respond to questions Thursday morning.

King has criticized the operation and suggested not funding ICE’s budget going forward unless agents face stronger oversight, including requirements to wear body cameras and remove masks.

“Let’s call this what it is: This is a large-scale mass deportation effort,” King said last week. “Let’s drop the pretense that somehow this is about the worst of the worst.”

Golden, meanwhile, had said he supported the ICE operation so long as it was focused on people “engaged in criminal activities.” He was one of a handful of congressional Democrats who voted last week to support a bill that would provide further funding for DHS.

Collins had called on the Trump administration to pause the operation Tuesday around the same time police arrested nine faith leaders who were protesting outside the senator’s Portland office.

“I believe they should be reviewed and far more targeted in their scope,” Collins said Tuesday. “I have also called for an independent investigation, not one overseen by the Department of Homeland Security.”

Maine’s Republican senator has faced mounting pressure to speak out about immigration enforcement and to vote against the Senate version of the DHS funding package. Graham Platner, who is campaigning in the Democratic primary to unseat Collins, led a protest outside her office in Portland on Thursday morning and planned another later Thursday in Bangor.

Collins has said she would not oppose the DHS funding bill because less than 20% of the funding is for ICE. The rest pays for the salaries and operations of the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration and other agencies.

Staff Writers Megan Gray and Andrew Rice contributed to this story.