Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) failed to lower the temperature of her anti-ICE rhetoric on Thursday, even as she responded to reports from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) that ICE is ending its “enhanced operation” in the state.
[RELATED: Collins says ICE has Ended “Enhanced” Operations in Maine after Pressing Noem to Pause Crackdown…]
“The reported end of ICE’s ‘enhanced operation’ in Maine does not end the pain and suffering that they have inflicted on communities across our state — people who have been terrorized, mothers who have been separated from their children, businesses who have been threatened, all by their own government,” said Gov. Mills in a statement.
Mills claimed that Mainers have a right to know where the 200 ICE detainees across the state are being held, why they are being held, and who they are.
The recent ICE crackdown, referred to as “Operation Catch of the Day,” reportedly targeted the “worst of the worst”: illegal aliens who have committed additional crimes after entering the country illegally.
“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 are,” said Mills.
She accused ICE of abusing its power and engaging in “lawless” and “dangerous” conduct.
Mills criticized Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and demanded her removal after two anti-ICE protesters were shot in Minnesota. She also called for Congress to vote against additional funding for immigration enforcement.
Despite deadly protests and growing threats against law enforcement, Mills chose to foment further hatred of the agency, warning that it has been “weaponized” and that no Americans are safe.
“Until there are substantive measures and changes in place, no state — including Maine — is protected from the weaponization of Federal law enforcement agencies against its own citizens by the Trump Administration,” she said.
Mills’ statement came after Sen. Collins announced that ICE has ceased its enhanced activities in Maine after she spoke with Secretary Noem.
“I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine,” said Collins.
“There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here. I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state. I appreciate the Secretary’s willingness to listen to and consider my recommendations and her personal attention to the situation in Maine,” she added.
Collins clarified that ICE and Border Patrol will continue normal operations in the state, which apparently do not involve cracking down on illegal immigrants with multiple prior arrests.
Before the crackdown ended, it led to the arrest of multiple anti-ICE protesters, alleged illegal immigrants working at the York and Cumberland County jails, and drug dealers, violent criminals, and thieves.
