Overview
- Mayors Carl Sheline of Lewiston and Mark Dion of Portland warned residents that ICE enforcement could begin soon and urged people to know their legal rights.
- Gov. Janet Mills said her administration could not verify any federal plans, directed Maine State Police to support local agencies, and cautioned that aggressive tactics are not welcome.
- DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin declined to discuss prospective actions, saying the department does not comment on future or potential operations.
- MS NOW, citing people familiar with planning, reported the administration is considering a Maine deployment focused partly on Somali refugees and potential fraud, modeled on recent Minnesota case re-reviews, with timing described as fluid.
- Recent context includes the administration’s move to end TPS for Somali nationals and prior HSI activity in Lewiston tied to alleged interpreter-fraud investigations at a local provider.