ICE agents are headed to Portland, Maine, the mayor confirmed. Mark Dion said that the federal agency is planning on sending agents in the next two weeks, as per local reports. The mayor of Lewiston, and the governor of Maine have also issued statements ahead of their arrival.
This comes amid growing concern over the ICE operations in Minnesota, after an agent identified as Jonathan Ross fatally shot a woman, Renee Nicole Good, in Minneapolis. Yesterday too, an agent shot a person after being attacked during an arrest, authorities shared.
What did Portland Mayor Mark Dion say?
The Portland mayor said that he got his information during a call with ‘someone in the federal system’. He added that he'd also gotten on a call with officials in Minnesota on how best to handle the situation.
He added that he was working closely with Lewiston mayor Carl Sheline while the situation unfolded.
Also Read | Who are the 3 Venezuelan migrant suspects in second Minneapolis ICE shooting? Details out
“Our community is anxious and fearful regarding the understanding that ICE is planning to send agents to Portland and Lewiston next week,” Dion said, as per WMTW. “There is no evidence of unchecked criminal activity in our community requiring a disproportionate presence of federal agents,” he further said, adding, “In that view, Portland rejects the need for the deployment of ICE agents into our neighborhoods. While we respect the law, we challenge the need for a paramilitary approach to the enforcement of federal statutes. The consequence of law enforcement should not be chaos and violence, which only results in making Portland less safe.”
{{/usCountry}}“Our community is anxious and fearful regarding the understanding that ICE is planning to send agents to Portland and Lewiston next week,” Dion said, as per WMTW. “There is no evidence of unchecked criminal activity in our community requiring a disproportionate presence of federal agents,” he further said, adding, “In that view, Portland rejects the need for the deployment of ICE agents into our neighborhoods. While we respect the law, we challenge the need for a paramilitary approach to the enforcement of federal statutes. The consequence of law enforcement should not be chaos and violence, which only results in making Portland less safe.”
{{/usCountry}}Further, Dion told the people of Portland “Know your rights and have a plan of action if ICE stops you on the street, visits your home, or arrives at your business or place of employment.” He continued, “If you decide to protest or demonstrate, keep your efforts peaceful and consistent with the expectations for lawful behavior that we all share.”
What did Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline say?
Sheline meanwhile said, “It’s my understanding that there will be ICE enforcement in Lewiston soon. I urge residents and businesses to know their rights and have a plan of action if ICE stops them in the street, visits their home, or visits their business.”
He added, “I understand that this is an unsettling time for many of our residents. Lewiston is a strong city and we care about our community and each other. Please check on your neighbors and stay safe,” as per the local report.
Maine Governor Janet Mills issues warning to ICE
Janet Mills, the governor of Maine, along with other leaders of the state condemned the idea of ICE heading there.
“To the federal government, I say this: if your plan is to come here to be provocative and to undermine the civil rights of Maine residents, do not be confused, those tactics are not welcome here,” Mills warned.
Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine), who represents the district which includes Lewiston, issued a statement, saying “I am aware of the rumors and have been in touch with local leaders in Lewiston about potential ICE operations in Maine. Given what’s happened in Minnesota and elsewhere, I know there are Mainers who are angry and afraid. For now, with so much uncertainty, I urge everyone with a platform to avoid spreading unsubstantiated gossip or fear. In fraught moments, we need to be careful with each other and our community,” as per WJAC.
Representative Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), meanwhile, said the following -
"Over the past year, Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security and its untrained, masked, and violent immigration officers have terrorized and traumatized entire communities on orders from a truly lawless and morally corrupt Administration. Their assaults came to a tragic head last week in Minnesota, where agents murdered an innocent observer in cold blood. In Minneapolis and across our country, these agents continue to indiscriminately detain immigrants and U.S. citizens, forcefully trample on First Amendment and due process rights, and cause utter chaos in our communities.
That we could soon see these reckless tactics unleashed in Maine is incredibly concerning. My team and I remain in constant communication with the Governor, the Mayors of Lewiston and Portland, and community organizations to prepare for increased enforcement activity. We are doing everything in our power to protect Mainers and immigrant communities.
Tomorrow, more than two dozen of my Democratic colleagues and I will be in Minnesota to get a better sense of what’s happening on the ground, to meet with state leaders and advocates, and to hopefully learn how communities in our home states can prepare themselves for—and protect their citizens from—any potential federal operations.
It’s important that Mainers who choose to protest do so peacefully, and that everyone, regardless of their background or immigration status, knows their rights.
Republicans are in control of both the House and the Senate, and given their endless capitulation to the President, no matter how illegal or immoral his actions, Congressional Democrats have limited power to stop ICE’s operations outright. But let me be clear: We are using every available tool at our disposal to demand accountability and oversight—forcing votes on the record, documenting abuses, and keeping public pressure on this Administration so that, when Democrats retake control of Congress, meaningful change and accountability actually happens. I’m working with my colleagues to use the appropriations process to impose restrictions on ICE and to claw back funding for DHS approved in the Big Ugly Bill.
This week, I joined more than 70 Democrats in bringing Articles of Impeachment against Noem. Her lies, incompetence, and moral failings undermine the protections she swore to uphold, and she needs to be removed from office.
It’s critically important to keep the pressure on in this Administration and show the American people that their abuses of power will not go unchallenged."