As a paralegal at a Maine civil rights law firm, I am trained to view the world through the lens of the rule of law. This principle dictates that everyone — including federal agents — is accountable to the same set of laws. Recent events in Minnesota and in Maine suggest a continuing shift toward rule by law.

The difference is vital. Rule by law is when the government uses the legal system as a tool for control and intimidation, often acting with impunity. When federal agents operate in our neighborhoods, with masked faces, deploying chemical weapons near schools and ignoring local oversight — as we have seen in the Twin Cities — the law is no longer a shield for the people; it is a weapon used against them.

Maine has already seen a nearly 75% increase in ICE arrests this past year, many involving individuals with no criminal history. As this new operation ramps up, we must ask ourselves: what kind of state do we want to be? Do we want a Maine where law enforcement operates with transparency and respects due process, or one where federal agencies can “disappear” people roadside without accountability?

I urge our local leaders and neighbors to demand that Maine remains a state governed by the rule of law. We cannot allow the trauma unfolding in Minnesota to become our new local reality.

Michelle Thompson
Gardiner