AUGUSTA, Maine – Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows sent an internal memo to employees instructing them to immediately report the presence of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents near Secretary of State worksites, while laying out strict guidance on what staff may and may not to do if federal agents show up at department facilities.
The message, titled “Guidance for all staff,” warns employees they “may have or be getting questions” about ICE activity in Maine “in the coming days.” Bellows wrote that the department wants every employee, and every member of the public who interacts with the Secretary of State’s office, to “feel safe,” and directed workers who feel concerned or unsafe to report it to their supervisor immediately.
Bellows’ memo outlines a division between public areas and staff-only areas inside state offices. Using Bureau of Motor Vehicles branches as an example, the guidance says lobbies are public spaces, while BMV offices and other areas closed to the public, including spaces requiring key-card access, are not.
If employees spot ICE “in the area in which you are working,” Bellows told them to report it right away. The memo directs staff to contact supervisors immediately if ICE or another federal representative visits any public space of the department so proper protocol can be followed, and it warns employees not to physically try to prevent an ICE agent or other law enforcement officer from entering public areas, including a branch lobby or parking lot.
For nonpublic spaces, the memo instructs staff not to provide access to anyone outside the department, including federal agents, without escalating the request through the chain of command. Employees are told to respond that they cannot grant permission to enter and that the visitor must speak with the Secretary of State.
The directive lands as Bellows faces renewed scrutiny over her posture toward federal issues, following her high-profile attempt to remove former President Donald Trump from Maine’s ballot.
The guidance was issued the same week where Bellows revoked confidential plates for undercover agents.
