In the Portland Press Herald’s lead article on Jan. 22, Homeland Security said it was targeting the “worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”

In that same issue, just below the lead article, a mother said her son, a student at USM, had no criminal record but was detained. Below that, an article about local faith leaders noted that a Black or brown person, to remain safe, should only drive with a white person.

On Page 5, a mother was picked up in Portland; a background check showed no criminal record. On Page C2, an article focused on why a Portland resident, from Angola, who was legally seeking asylum, following U.S. laws, was arrested when he had no criminal record to justify an arrest. 

All of this is in one day’s newspaper. The headline on Page 1 was “Immigration officials confirm stepped-up enforcement in Maine.” Instead of focusing on what Homeland Security was saying, the headline could have been, “Department of Homeland Security lies about ICE targets.”

The media, the Press Herald is not alone, seems content to repeat the administration’s press releases, instead of highlighting the facts and highlighting that the administration is lying in the face of videos and observers. That revelation is buried later on Page 5.

I urge everyone to contact our Congress members, especially Sen. Collins, and ask that the U.S. rule of law and our Constitution’s Fourth Amendment be followed, and that funding for ICE be halted by Congress.

Peter Lindsay
North Yarmouth