ICE activity increases in Maine as anxiety grows in immigrant communities

"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 "Patriot" in Massachusetts, "Metro Surge" in Minnesota and "Midway Blitz" in Chicago. Reports of a surge in immigration arrests 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. Mills said Wednesday that if federal agents have warrants, they should show them, but if they are separating parents who have committed no crime from their children, they are 'only sowing intimidation and fear and fostering division and suspicion among neighbors.'"

"Citizens have formed networks to alert neighborhoods to the presence of ICE agents and bring food to immigrants in their homes. Portland's superintendent said the school district is developing an online learning plan for its students - more than half of whom aren't white. Many businesses have posted signs saying ICE agents aren't welcome."

""While we respect the law, we challenge the need for a paramilitary approach," Portland Mayor Mark Dion said at a news conference Wednesday where he was joined by other local officials. "This council doesn't stand apart from our immigrant communities, we stand with them.""

Federal immigration authorities launched an enforcement operation in Maine called "Catch of the Day," focusing attention on cities with notable African refugee communities despite a relatively small undocumented population statewide. The surge in arrests has generated fear in Portland and Lewiston and prompted political backlash from Gov. Janet Mills and local leaders, who criticized paramilitary tactics and refused certain cooperation with ICE. Community members formed networks to alert neighbors and deliver food, businesses posted signs opposing enforcement, and schools began preparing online learning plans for students amid concerns about deportations and family separations.

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