Anxiety grows in Maine's immigrant communities as ICE ratchets up activity in state

"The Trump administration is now targeting Maine in its mass deportation campaign, a state with relatively few residents in the United States illegally but a notable presence of refugees in its largest cities, particularly from Africa. Reports of immigration arrests over the last week have struck fear in immigrant communities of Portland and Lewiston and prompted backlash from Gov. Janet Mills and other Democrats, including a refusal to help ICE agents obscure the identity of their vehicles by issuing undercover license plates."

"The Department of Homeland Security named the operation Catch of the Day, an apparent play on Maine's seafood industry, just as it has done for other enforcement surges, like Metro Surge in Minnesota and Midway Blitz in Chicago. The department's arrest target of 1,000 Maine residents, reported by Fox News Channel, would make it a significant operation but far from the largest. Portland and Lewiston have thousands of residents of African descent, including many from Somalia."

"Now the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is causing great anxiety in Portland, said city council member Pious Ali, a native of Ghana. Our schools have seen about a quarter of immigrants not showing up, Ali said, and many fear going to work as well: There are immigrants who live here who work in our hospitals, they work in our schools, they work in our hotels, they are part of the economic engine of our community."

Maine has been targeted by a federal deportation operation named Catch of the Day, with authorities reportedly aiming to arrest up to 1,000 residents. The state has relatively few undocumented residents but a concentrated refugee population in Portland and Lewiston, including large Somali communities. Recent immigration arrests have generated fear, reduced school attendance among immigrant children, and led many residents to avoid work. Maine officials, including Gov. Janet Mills and other Democrats, refused to assist ICE with undercover license plates. Community leaders emphasized that immigrants work in hospitals, schools, and hotels and form a vital part of the local economy.

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