The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Maine after Secretary of State Shenna Bellows refused to issue undercover license plates to ICE agents executing federal law enforcement activities in Maine.
“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe and must be able to carry out their duties effectively. By denying undercover license plates to DHS components, including ICE, while issuing them to their own state agencies, these governors are pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies against federal law enforcement. These actions undermine federal immigration enforcement, allow dangerous criminals to escape justice, and terrorize American communities,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The suit specifically names Bellows, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) and the state itself as defendants.
The lawsuit argues that Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), headed by the Secretary of State, is illegally discriminating against federal agencies while allowing state agencies to continue using confidential plates.
The suit also accuses Maine of violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which ensures that states do not have the power to dictate how federal authority is exercised within their borders.
“Maine’s restrictions are also illegal because through those restrictions on Federal Government operations, Maine seeks to regulate the Federal Government’s operations within the state by restricting which official duties an agent may execute and which federal laws the Federal Government may enforce,” says the lawsuit.
Acting AG Blanche argued that the decision places federal agents at unnecessary risk, allowing them to be tracked by dangerous criminals or people seeking to harass them and hinder operations and allowing criminals to evade agents.
The suit requests that the court rule the BMV’s decision unconstitutional and that it bar the defendants from enforcing the decision. It also requests that the court costs be awarded to the U.S. to be paid by the defendants and, by extension, Maine taxpayers.
The DOJ also filed similar lawsuits against Washington, Oregon, and Massachusetts.
The lawsuit comes after Frey and Bellows rejected a letter from the DOJ threatening legal action if the state continued to refuse to issue undercover plates to federal immigration officials.
