‘Catch of the day’: Trump launches new ICE immigration crackdown in Maine

The medication of United States President Donald Trump has announced its latest migration enforcement operation, this clip successful the northeastern authorities of Maine.

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that migration raids had begun a time earlier, nether the sanction “Operation Catch of the Day”.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3DOJ says won’t analyse ICE agent’s fatal shooting of Renee Good
• list 2 of 3US Justice Department probes Minnesota officials amid migration raids
• list 3 of 3Public sentiment shifts connected ICE arsenic advocates pass of US ‘inflection point’

In a statement, a Trump medication spokesperson appeared to awesome that targeting Maine was a governmental effect to the ongoing feud betwixt the president and the state’s governor, Democrat Janet Mills.

“Governor Mills and her chap sanctuary politicians successful Maine person made it abundantly wide that they would alternatively basal with transgression amerciable aliens than support law-abiding American citizens,” said spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

But rumours person swirled that Maine was singled retired for its important Somali American colonisation successful the cities of Portland and Lewiston. Estimates enactment the full fig of Somali Americans successful the authorities astatine astir 3,000.

Trump has repeatedly denounced the Somali assemblage implicit the past respective months, comparing its members to “garbage” astatine a December furniture meeting. As precocious arsenic Tuesday, helium utilized his White House podium to telephone Somalis and Somali Americans “ a batch of precise debased IQ people”.

Racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric has been a trademark of Trump’s campaigns for nationalist office, and helium has repeatedly singled retired circumstantial groups — including Haitians and Mexicans — to falsely necktie their migrant individuality to pervasive transgression activity.

Mayor Mark Dion of Portland, Maine, speaks astatine a quality league connected January 21 [Patrick Whittle/AP Photo]

Parallels with Minnesota

Trump’s absorption connected the Somali assemblage comes aft a fistful of members were implicated successful a fraud ungraded successful Minnesota, a midwestern authorities wherever migration enforcement operations were launched successful December.

Those efforts person been marked by convulsive clashes betwixt national agents and protesters, and 1 woman, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, was changeable to decease successful her car aft an enactment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Fears that those tensions could spill into Maine dominated a Wednesday quality league with metropolis officials successful Portland.

Mayor Mark Dion told reporters that migrant communities successful the portion felt “anxious and fearful” arsenic ICE agents began their crackdown.

“They spot this enactment arsenic unpredictable and a menace to their families,” helium explained.

He besides questioned whether a heavy-handed cognition was indispensable to code migration infractions successful the area, and helium called connected ICE to follow antithetic tactics than it had successful Minnesota.

“I privation to underscore 1 important point: While we respect the law, we situation the request for a paramilitary attack to the enforcement of national statutes,” Dion said.

“Federal migration instrumentality is lawful. Its medication and enforcement is lawful,” helium added. “What we’ve been acrophobic with, arsenic a council, is the enforcement tactics that ICE has undertaken successful different communities, which to our caput look to endanger and intimidate populations.”

Nevertheless, Dion expressed optimism that ICE would follow a much tailored attack to apprehending section suspects.

While the metropolis of Minneapolis, Minnesota, has seen astir 2,000 migration officers flood its streets, the politician predicted that Maine would not spot the aforesaid “massing of national agents”.

“We’re seeing precise individualised enactment by ICE. A idiosyncratic here, a neighbourhood there,” helium said. “Their conduct, astatine slightest arsenic it is existent successful Maine, seems to beryllium focused, which would bespeak to maine — and this is the speculation — that they’re functioning connected the ground of an existent tribunal warrant.”

That, helium said, marked a departure from the “random, show-me-your-papers benignant of experience” that residents had experienced successful Minnesota.

Well-wishers connected January 20 sojourn a makeshift memorial for Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally changeable by an ICE serviceman successful Minneapolis [Angelina Katsanis/AP Photo]

Outrage astatine ICE operations

Still, portion Dion advocated for a wait-and-see attack to the ICE operation, different metropolis officials took a harder stance.

One Portland metropolis councillor,  Wesley Pelletier, described the unfolding raids arsenic portion of “an docket of achromatic nationalism and mightiness makes right”.

“This is simply a warfare of panic that’s being waged connected our metropolis by the national government,” Pelletier said. “We’ve seen radical of each ages getting thrown connected the crushed and getting thrown into trucks.”

So far, Fox News quoted ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde arsenic saying the bureau had made 50 arrests truthful acold arsenic portion of cognition “Catch of the Day”. Hyde added that ICE had identified astir 1,400 individuals to detain successful Maine.

Wednesday’s connection from the Department of Homeland Security highlighted 4 arrests arsenic examples, showing radical from Sudan, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Angola.

It described the 4 individuals arsenic “the worst of the worst” and accused them of crimes ranging from aggravated battle to endangering the payment of a child, though it was unclear successful 1 lawsuit if the accusation had resulted successful a conviction.

“We are nary longer allowing transgression amerciable aliens to terrorize American citizens,” McLaughlin said successful the statement.

But Democratic officials successful the authorities suggested that the Trump medication had refused to coordinate successful the lead-up to “Catch of the Day”, heightening anxiousness connected the section level.

On January 14, astir a week earlier the cognition was launched, Governor Mills posted connected societal media that she had “attempted, unsuccessfully frankincense far, to confirm” the upcoming surge successful national migration enforcement.

In a video statement, she said the authorities had reached retired to section governments successful Portland and Lewiston to prepare. She added that she excessively felt “angry” astir the expected surge.

“Our goal, arsenic always, volition beryllium to support the information and the rights of the radical of Maine,” Mills said.

“To the national government, I accidental this: If your program is to travel present to beryllium provocative and to undermine the civilian rights of Maine residents, bash not beryllium confused. Those tactics are not invited present to the radical of Maine.”

She besides took a jab astatine the inclination of national agents utilizing masks and different facial coverings to conceal their identities.

“Look, Maine knows what bully instrumentality enforcement looks similar due to the fact that our instrumentality enforcement are held to precocious nonrecreational standards,” Mills said. “They are accountable to the law. And I’ll archer you this: They don’t deterioration a disguise to shield their identities, and they don’t apprehension radical successful bid to capable a quota.”

Democratic Governor Janet Mills has openly opposed Trump medication policies [File: Robert F Bukaty/AP Photo]

A governmental rivalry

Mills and Trump person agelong been governmental adversaries, with their feud erupting successful a nationalist forum. In February past year, soon aft Trump returned to bureau for a 2nd term, helium hosted a White House gathering for governors wherever helium called retired Mills personally.

“Is Maine here? The politician of Maine?” Trump said portion outlining policies barring transgender athletes from sporting events. “Are you not going to comply with it?”

“I’m complying with authorities and national law,” Mills responded. The hostility escalated from there.

“You’d amended comply due to the fact that different you’re not getting any, immoderate national funding,” Trump changeable back.

“See you successful court,” Mills replied.

“Good. I’ll spot you successful court. I look guardant to that. That should beryllium a truly casual one. And bask your beingness aft politician due to the fact that I don’t deliberation you’ll beryllium successful elected politics,” helium said.

The enactment made nationalist quality and cemented the frosty narration betwixt the 2 leaders, with Trump demanding an apology and slamming the Democratic politician for months afterwards.

His medication besides took a bid of escalating actions designed to people Mills, including launching an acquisition probe successful her state, suspending a marine probe assistance and freezing different national funds to Maine.

In effect to this week’s ICE deployment, Mills issued a abbreviated connection acknowledging the Trump administration’s latest efforts.

“Together, we volition proceed to spot the information and civilian rights of Maine radical supra each else, and stay vigilant successful our defence of owed process and the regularisation of law,” she wrote.

Maine is acceptable to clasp its adjacent gubernatorial contention successful 2026, arsenic portion of the year’s midterm predetermination cycle.

Having served 2 presumption arsenic governor, Mills is not eligible for re-election and volition alternatively beryllium making a tally for the US Senate, challenging Republican incumbent Susan Collins.