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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 200 people in Maine over the past five days as part of an enforcement surge that has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has called on President Donald Trump to remove agents from the state.
“The brave men and women of ICE have already arrested more than 200 illegal aliens in Maine in the last five days,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, per WMTW.
“Some of the arrests of the worst of the worst from the first day of operations include criminal illegal aliens charged with and convicted of horrific crimes, including aggravated assault, false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.”
ICE launched Operation Catch of the Day last week across Maine as part of a Trump administration crackdown on illegal immigration overseen by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
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DHS said the initiative prioritizes what it describes as the most dangerous offenders living unlawfully in the state.
Mills has requested a meeting with Trump so that she can ask him in person to withdraw ICE agents from Maine, per WMTV.
“I’m hearing that many of the people being detained, or on that list, I think, are family members here in Maine, people who are working here in Maine, people who have children in the school system, people who have children in homes in Maine, people with no criminal record, and that’s concerning,” Mills said, per the outlet.
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On Saturday, Mills issued a statement condemning the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis and demanding an immediate withdrawal of ICE agents from Maine.
The governor cited what she described as ICE agents’ “untrained and reckless” actions as a public safety threat.
Meanwhile, Mills, who is seeking her party’s nomination to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, accused the Republican lawmaker of failing to use her authority as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to rein in ICE operations in the state.
It comes after Collins warned that a government shutdown would be extremely harmful and should be avoided at all costs as lawmakers raced to pass a six-bill funding package ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.
Collins said she had spoken with Noem about ICE activity in Maine but declined to provide details, pointing instead to provisions in the funding bill that include money for body-worn cameras, inspector general reviews of detention centers and de-escalation training.
“Are you kidding me, @SenSusanCollins?” Mills wrote on X in response.
“Your concerns over the killing of a young man are meaningless since you don’t have the courage do anything about it as ICE invades our state,” she wrote. “You are the chair of the committee that funds the government. Hold them accountable.”
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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