The administration of President Donald Trump has made the most recent immigration enforcement announcement, this time in Maine, a state with northeastern borders.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Wednesday that “Operation Catch of the Day” had been conducting immigration raids the day before.
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A Trump administration spokesman said in a statement that the president’s and the state’s governor, Democrat Janet Mills, were engaged in a political conflict.
According to spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, “Governor Mills and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Maine have made it abundantly clear that they would rather stand with criminal illegal aliens than defend law-abiding Americans.”
However, rumors have been spreading that Maine was chosen for its significant Somali American population in Lewiston and Portland. According to estimates, there are about 3, 000 Somali Americans in the state overall.
At a cabinet meeting in December, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Somali community and compared its members to “garbage.” He recently referred to Somalis and Somali Americans as “a lot of very low IQ people” on his White House podium as recently as Tuesday.
Trump has frequently used racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric in his campaigns for office, and he has repeatedly criticized specific groups, including Haitians and Mexicans, for fabricating a link between impunity and criminal activity.
Minnesota has similarities.
A few members of Trump’s team were implicated in a fraud scandal in Minnesota, a midwestern state, where immigration enforcement operations were launched in December, as a result of his focus on the Somali community.
In addition to the violent confrontations between federal agents and protesters, Renee Nicole Good, 37, was fatally shot in her car after engaging with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A Wednesday news conference with Portland city officials on Wednesday was dominated by worries that those tensions might spread to Maine.
As ICE agents began their crackdown, the region’s mayor, Mark Dion, stated to reporters that immigrant communities were “anxious and fearful.”
They perceive this behavior as unanticipated and a threat to their families, he said.
He questioned whether a heavy-handed operation was required to stop immigration violations in the area, and he demanded that ICE use a different strategy than it did in Minnesota.
We disagree with the need for a paramilitary approach to the enforcement of federal laws, Dion said. “I want to emphasize one important point.
Federal immigration law is a good one. Its governance and enforcement are legitimate, he continued. What we’ve been concerned about as a council is the enforcement strategies used by ICE in other communities, which in our opinion appear to be threatening and intimidating populations.
Dion expressed hope that ICE would adopt a more targeted approach to apprehending local suspects, though.
The mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, predicted that Maine would experience the same “massing of federal agents” as Minneapolis, where nearly 2, 000 immigration officers have flooded its streets.
“ICE is engaging in very individualized behavior. He said, “There is a person here, there is a neighborhood there.” Their behavior seems focused, at least in Maine, which would suggest to me that they are acting on the basis of a valid court order, and this is speculation.
He claimed that that was a departure from the “random, show-your-papers kind of experience” that Minnesotans had previously had.
ICE operations scandal atrocious
Despite Dion’s support for a wait-and-see approach to the ICE operation, other city officials took a different stance.
Wesley Pelletier, a councillor for Portland, described the ongoing raids as part of “an agenda of white nationalism and might makes right.”
The federal government is engaged in a “war of terror” against our city, according to Pelletier. “We’ve seen people of all ages being thrown into trucks and on the ground.”
According to ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde, who was quoted by Fox News as saying that the agency had already made 50 arrests as part of “Catch of the Day” so far. In Maine, according to Hyde, ICE has identified nearly 1,400 detainees.
Four arrests, depicting people from Sudan, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Angola, were highlighted in the Department of Homeland Security’s statement on Wednesday.
The four defendants were described as “the worst of the worst” and accused of crimes ranging from aggravated assault to child abuse, though it was not clear in one case whether the accusation had led to a conviction.
In the statement, McLaughlin said, “We are no longer allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens.”
However, state Democratic officials claimed that the Trump administration had refused to coordinate ahead of “Catch of the Day,” which heightened local anxiety.
Governor Mills announced on social media on January 14 that she had “attended, unsuccessfully, confirm” the upcoming rise in federal immigration enforcement, almost a week before the operation was launched.
She claimed in a video statement that Portland and Lewiston’s local governments had been collaborating on the project. She continued, “angry” about the anticipated surge, too.
According to Mills, “our goal is always to safeguard the safety and rights of the people of Maine.”
Do not be alarmed, I tell the federal government, “Do not come here if your plan is to be provocative and to undermine the civil rights of Maine residents.” The people of Maine do not approve of those tactics.
She also lashed out at the practice of using masks and other facial coverings to cover one’s identity among federal agents.
Because our law enforcement adhere to high professional standards, Mills said, “Look, Maine knows what good law enforcement looks like.” They hold the law accountable. And I’ll let you know this: They don’t detain people to meet quotas, and they don’t wear masks to protect their identities.
A political conflict
Mills and Trump have a long history of political rivalry, beginning in a public forum. He hosted a White House gathering for governors in February of last year, shortly after Trump won a second term, and he personally criticized Mills.
Maine: Is it here? “The Maine governor” Trump outlined laws that prohibit transgender athletes from participating in sporting events. Are you going to break it, you ask?
Mills responded, “I’m adhering to state and federal law.” From there, the tension grew even more.
Trump retorted, “You’d better comply because otherwise you’re not getting any, any federal funding.”
Mills responded, “See you in court.”
“Good. In court, I’ll see you again. That’s something I’m anticipating. That ought to be a simple choice. And enjoy your life there after, governor, because you won’t likely be running for office, he said.
Trump demanded an apology and criticized the Democratic governor for months after the incident, which established a frosty relationship between the two leaders.
In addition, his administration stepped up its offensive against Mills, including suspending a marine research grant and freezing Maine’s allocation of other federal funds.
Mills acknowledged the Trump administration’s most recent efforts in a brief statement in response to the ICE deployment this week.
Together, we will prioritize Maine’s citizens’ safety and civil rights above all else, and we will continue to fight for the rule of law and fair trial,” she wrote.
In the middle of the state’s midterm election cycle, Maine will hold its next gubernatorial race in 2026.
Source: Aljazeera
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