Gov. Janet Mills said Wednesday that her administration is working with municipal officials and community organizations to monitor the spike in recent immigration enforcement activity.
The state is committed to ensuring the “safety and civil rights of people across Maine,” she said in a written statement.
“If the federal government has warrants, then it should show them,” said Mills, a Democrat. “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.”
The governor’s statement Wednesday came as federal officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are working in Maine under an operation to target criminals statewide.
An official with the administration said Tuesday that close to 50 people had been arrested.
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