Federal authorities have ended their immigration enforcement surge in Maine, a state senator said on Thursday, even as Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan insisted that the much bigger operation in Minnesota would continue.
Susan Collins, a Republican, cited a conversation with the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, that the “enhanced operation” in her state of Maine had been wrapped up.
Nicknamed “Operation Catch of the Day”, it has targeted communities in Portland and Lewiston and led to the detention of more 200 people since last week.
Most have already been removed from the state, sparking concerns among family members and attorneys who fear that the detainees will face greater odds of removal outside of Maine.
“There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here,” Collins said in a social media post, adding that she had been “urging” the agency to reconsider its approach to enforcement, and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US Customs and Border Protection would continue their “normal operations”.
“We have noticed a dramatic downswing of enforcement [in Maine] since the week started,” said Jenny Beverly, an attorney with Haven Immigration Law who has been fielding legal aid requests since the ICE surge began.
Noem’s apparent decision to end the Maine enforcement push comes as the administration appears to be reassessing its activity nationwide following public rebukes from Republican and Democratic lawmakers – including 160 officials calling for her impeachment – as well as large-scale anti-ICE demonstrations in Minnesota, Philadelphia and New York.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration removed border patrol commander Gregory Bovino from his post in Minneapolis in an apparent attempt to quell public criticism. Homan has now assumed command of the nation’s most high-profile enforcement campaign.
Speaking at a press conference in Minneapolis on Thursday, Homan said: “I’m not here because of the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly”. Federal agents have killed two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in the space of two weeks, sparking nationwide outrage.
“President Trump and I, along with others in administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made. That’s exactly what I’m doing here,” Homan said. He also pledged to stay in Minnesota “until the problem’s gone”, without offering any details.
Homan suggested that there could be a reduction of federal agents in exchange for “cooperation” from Minnesota officials, including granting ICE officers access to local jails.
“The withdrawal of law enforcement resources here is dependent upon cooperation,” Homan said. He did not elaborate on further examples, but Homan has long sought access to jails, especially in so-called sanctuary cities with large immigrant populations such as Minneapolis or Portland, Oregon.
“The drawdown is going to happen based on these agreements. But the drawdown can happen even more if the hateful rhetoric and the impediment and interference will stop,” Homan said. “When the violence decreases, we can draw down the resources,” despite the fact that the protesters have been largely peaceful and that by far the worst violence has come from the federal agents who killed Good and Pretti.
He did add that federal agents who breach codes of conduct “will be dealt with”, but gave no further details and did not mention the killings.
Homan also insisted to reporters that “we know exactly who we’re looking for”, despite reports that many people without criminal convictions have been detained.
The backlash has been at least somewhat bipartisan, with two Minnesota lawmakers saying they will no longer run for elected office, including Chris Madel, a top Republican candidate for Minnesota governor, who said Monday that “I cannot support the … stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”
Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic senator, announced on Thursday that she would be running for governor, after Tim Walz, the incumbent, said he would no longer run for any elected office.
