In a significant move by the Trump administration, ICE agents have been directed to start detaining Somali migrants in Maine, intensifying the government’s ongoing immigration enforcement efforts.

Federal officers are actively conducting operations in Portland and Lewiston, the two largest cities in the state, as part of a newly launched initiative by the Department of Homeland Security, aptly named ‘Operation Catch of the Day,’ which was announced on Wednesday.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for Homeland Security, revealed that several arrests were made on the operation’s inaugural day, underscoring the administration’s commitment to this crackdown.

Officials in Portland and Lewiston are cautioning the public that ICE will be increasing its enforcement activities in the coming days, urging community members to stay informed and vigilant.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maine has issued a stern reminder to residents, advising them not to interfere with ICE agents as they execute their duties, emphasizing the legal repercussions of such actions.

‘Anyone who forcibly assaults or impedes a federal law enforcement officer, willfully destroys government property or unlawfully obstructs federal law enforcement activity commits a federal crime and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,’ said Andrew Benson, the US attorney in the state.

Amid outcry from local and state officials, Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills said aggressive immigration enforcement that violates civil rights are ‘not welcome.’

Maine received thousands of asylum refugees from African countries under the Biden administration. A sizeable Somali population has existed in the state since the early 2000s. 

The Department of Homeland Security has sent immigration agents to Maine as part of their latest crackdown on Somali migrants

A sizeable Somali population has existed in Maine since the early 2000s

Immigration agents made 50 arrests on Tuesday with more than 1,000 targets in the state

The immigration surge comes as thousands of ICE agents face consistent opposition from protesters in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Good.

The presence of ICE agents in Portland is causing fear across immigrant communities, according to city council member Pious Ali, an immigrant of the West African nation of Ghana. 

‘Our schools have seen about a quarter of immigrants not showing up,’ Ali said. ‘There are immigrants who live here who work in our hospitals, they work in our schools, they work in our hotels, they are part of the economic engine of our community.’ 

‘The federal government has the ability to contact these people without unleashing fear into our communities.’

The immigration enforcement action arriving to Maine, rural state with about 1.4 million residents, suggests the White House is doubling-down on Trump’s mass deportation agenda amid widespread push back.

ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde told reporters that agents made 50 arrests on Tuesday as officials have more than 1,000 targets in the state. 

School officials in Portland are also opposing the immigration crackdown by preventing officials from entering campuses. 

Portland Public Schools announced Wednesday that it had prevented anyone from entering the buildings of two education facilities over concerns regarding nearby ICE activity.

Trump has called for all Somalians to leave the United States while attacking Democratic lawmakers

ICE agents are making arrests across the two largest cities in Maine 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection have received pushback from Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a longtime opponent of Trump.

Agents requested for confidential, undercover Maine license plates but state officials decided against issuing them, according to Bellows. 

Moreover, Trump has called for Somalians to leave the US in a blistering attack on Democratic lawmakers while discussing ICE operations in Minnesota. 

‘Minnesota is a very corrupt place and the elections are totally corrupt,’ Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

‘I feel I won it all three times. Nobody has won it since Richard Nixon. It’s a rigged state. The Somalians vote as one group even if they’re not citizens. They all ought to get the hell out of here. They’re bad for our country.’