US EditionEmpty Vehicles, Dropped Calls: The Eerie Scenes as ICE Came to Maine
More than 100 arrests made in first three days of ICE's statewide operation targeting up to 1,400 undocumented immigrants, sparking criticism over detentions without criminal records.
- On Tuesday, Jan. 20, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Catch of the Day in Maine, targeting about 1,400 people and arresting more than 100.
- Officials and advocates dispute that rationale, saying many detained lack criminal records, and broader data show many arrests under the administration involved people with no record amid Minneapolis criticism.
- In Biddeford, Cristian Vaca captured unmarked and masked ICE agents visiting homes and speaking through doors, including one telling Vaca `We're gonna come back for your whole family, OK?`.
- Community groups responded with protests and reports of higher absences, while Congress faces calls for oversight and proposals for $20 million for body cameras and $2 million for de-escalation training.
- Some Maine Republicans, including former Gov. Paul LePage, supported ICE raids while Democratic campaigns urged accountability, reflecting national immigration debates influencing Maine's 2nd District and statewide races.
11 Articles
11 Articles
ICE launches new operation in Maine amid Trump's crackdown
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made dozens of arrests in Maine on Tuesday amid an effort known as Operation Catch of the Day. Fox News' Griff Jenkins reported on Wednesday that authorities had arrested more than 50 people on Tuesday, and had informed him more arrests were taking place on Wednesday. "We have approximately 1,400 targets here in Maine," ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said on Tuesday, going on to mention…
Central Maine News
Lewiston Sun JournalEmpty vehicles, dropped calls: The eerie scenes as ICE came to Maine
ICE agents have swiftly whisked people away this week, leaving uneasy feelings in their wake.
Graham Platner Solicits Donations for Maine Anti-ICE Group Led By Accused Somali Fraudsters
Senate candidate Graham Platner (D., Maine) urged supporters to donate to an anti-ICE group led by several Somalis tied to a nonprofit under congressional investigation for allegedly defrauding the state of millions of dollars in Medicaid payments. The day after ICE launched a statewide operation targeting illegal aliens in Maine, Platner promoted the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition (MIRC), a taxpayer-funded nonprofit that touted its "ICE Wat…
‘A dragnet approach,’ lawful residents detained in initial days of ICE operation in Maine
Anti-ICE flyers have appeared in shop windows across Portland since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched its operation in Maine on Jan. 20, 2026. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)A retail worker arrested at a routine immigration check-in. A mother and a student, both asylum seekers, taken into custody. A civil engineer on a work visa and a corrections officer recruit, whose boss said he has a “squeaky clean” record and permi…
ICE Agent Filmed at Man's Front Door Warning 'We're Gonna Come Back for Your Whole Family' as Immigration Raids Reach Maine
Biddeford, Maine, resident Cristian Vaca told The Associated Press that he was "terrified" during the encounter, saying, "it made me think about my son and his innocence, that he didn't know what was happening"Joshua Wolfe/Biddeford Buzz Immigration officers outside the home of Cristian VacaNEED TO KNOWMaine resident Cristian Vaca captured an ICE agent on camera outside his front door warning, "We're gonna come back for your whole family"Vaca, a…
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