PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal immigration officials have ceased their “enhanced operations” in Maine, the site of an enforcement surge and hundreds of arrests since last week, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Thursday.
Collins, a Republican, announced the development after saying she had spoken directly with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
“There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here,” Collins said in a statement, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state.”
The announcement came after President Donald Trump seemed to signal a willingness to ease tensions in Minneapolis after a second deadly shooting there by federal immigration agents.
Collins said ICE and Border Patrol officials “will continue their normal operations that have been ongoing here for many years.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Collins’ announcement comes more than a week after ICE began an operation it dubbed “Catch of the Day.”
Federal officials said about 50 arrests were made the first day and that roughly 1,400 people were operational targets in the mostly rural state of 1.4 million residents, 4% of whom are foreign-born.
In Lewiston, one of the cities targeted by ICE, Mayor Carl Sheline called the scale-down welcome news, describing the agency's operations as “disastrous” for the community.
“ICE operations in Maine have failed to improve public safety and have caused lasting damage to our communities. We will continue working to ensure that those who were wrongfully detained by ICE are returned to us,” said Sheline, who leads a city where the mayoral position is required to be nonpartisan.
ICE has also launched immigration operations in Minnesota, Chicago and other cities. While Trump has pushed to deploy National Guard troops to crack down on both immigration and crime, as of early January, the White House said it was backing down after facing several legal roadblocks.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin last week touted that some Maine arrests were of people “convicted of horrific crimes including aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child.”
Court records show a complex story
Court records painted a slightly different story: While some had felony convictions, others were detainees with unresolved immigration proceedings or who were arrested but never convicted of a crime.
Federal authorities highlighted the case of Elmara Correia, saying she was “arrested previously for endangering the welfare of a child.” However, Manuel Vemba, who has a four-year-old son with Correia, said Thursday that a neighbor called police about the boy playing outside with friends, and that he doesn’t believe any charges were brought.
“She does not have any criminal record, and she’s not the type of person they’re labeling her,” he said. “Elmara is a mother, just like many other mothers out there, who loves her child and has sacrificed for her child.”
Vemba described his former partner as trustworthy, hardworking and devoted to their son, who is on the autism spectrum and loves to play soccer and run.
“She did everything she could to guarantee that my son was safe and happy,” he said.
The boy is now staying with Vemba, who has told him, “Mommy’s traveling. Mommy will be back.” On Wednesday, a Massachusetts judge granted her request for a bail hearing.
A critical election year
Collins is up for reelection this year. Unlike a handful of Republican senators facing potentially tough campaigns, Collins has not called for Noem to step down or be fired. She's also avoided criticizing ICE tactics, beyond saying ICE should not target people who are in the U.S. legally.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who announced her Senate candidacy in October and could face Collins in the general election, has challenged immigration officials to provide judicial warrants, real-time arrest numbers and basic information about who is being detained in Maine. She also called on Collins to act after the House’s GOP majority defeated Democrats' efforts to curtail ICE funding.
ICE must account for its actions in Maine even if it is scaling back, Mills said Thursday.
“We still do not know critical details about the 200 individuals ICE says it has detained, many of whom appear to be here legally, who have no criminal record and who are not ‘the worst of the worst.’ The people of Maine deserve to know the identities of every person taken from here, the legal justification for doing so, where they are being held, and what the federal government’s plan for them is,” Mills said.
Meanwhile, first-time Democratic candidate Graham Platner — who is challenging Mills in the primary — has criticized both Mills' and Collins' handling of ICE and has demanded the agency be dismantled. Platner organized a protest Thursday outside Collins' office in Portland, Maine, where dozens of supporters held signs and sang along with him.
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Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island, and Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.