Maine Immigration Enforcement Operations Come to a Halt, Collins Says
US Sen. Susan Collins announced in a statement on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security has informed her that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have been scaled back significantly in Maine.
According to Collins, who is a Republican from the state, "there are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations" in Maine. The senator claimed that the department does not confirm law enforcement operations, but Secretary Noem had informed her of this information.
This development comes as a relief for state and local leaders who had expressed concerns over the intensified immigration enforcement efforts in Maine. In recent weeks, CBS News reported that over 200 people with criminal histories from Angola, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Sudan were detained by ICE agents under the "Operation Catch of the Day" initiative.
Critics had raised eyebrows at this effort, citing instances of Somali immigrants being targeted by ICE authorities. The Minneapolis region had also seen thousands of officers deployed in recent weeks, leading to pushback from local leaders following a tragic incident where two US citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration authorities.
In response to the concerns, Collins urged Secretary Noem to reconsider her approach to immigration enforcement in Maine. Collins expressed appreciation for the secretary's willingness to listen to her recommendations and acknowledge the situation in the state.
US Sen. Susan Collins announced in a statement on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security has informed her that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations have been scaled back significantly in Maine.
According to Collins, who is a Republican from the state, "there are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations" in Maine. The senator claimed that the department does not confirm law enforcement operations, but Secretary Noem had informed her of this information.
This development comes as a relief for state and local leaders who had expressed concerns over the intensified immigration enforcement efforts in Maine. In recent weeks, CBS News reported that over 200 people with criminal histories from Angola, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and Sudan were detained by ICE agents under the "Operation Catch of the Day" initiative.
Critics had raised eyebrows at this effort, citing instances of Somali immigrants being targeted by ICE authorities. The Minneapolis region had also seen thousands of officers deployed in recent weeks, leading to pushback from local leaders following a tragic incident where two US citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration authorities.
In response to the concerns, Collins urged Secretary Noem to reconsider her approach to immigration enforcement in Maine. Collins expressed appreciation for the secretary's willingness to listen to her recommendations and acknowledge the situation in the state.
. I think it's a great step towards calming tensions between law enforcement and immigrant communities. It's always hard to see people getting caught up in heated debates about immigration, but thankfully, Collins is stepping in as the voice of reason 
. I mean, can't we all just try to find common ground here? 
Those Operation Catch of the Day initiatives sound super problematic - it's not cool that people with criminal histories are being targeted without due process 
. It's also a bit concerning that Somali immigrants have been specifically singled out by ICE authorities... let's hope for some more nuanced approaches to immigration in the future 
. Anyway, Collins seems like a pro at mediating conflicts and finding peaceful solutions - kudos to her! 
. The lack of transparency from DHS can make it challenging to assess the effectiveness of such operations, so Secretary Noem should indeed be open to reconsidering her approach 
. It's also interesting to note that this move comes as a response to CBS News' exposé on Operation Catch of the Day, which shed light on some alarming aspects of ICE's tactics 
. Overall, this shift could potentially lead to a more nuanced understanding and cooperation between law enforcement agencies and immigrant communities 
. I mean, sure, it was probably problematic that Somali immigrants were targeted, but come on, let's not make this out to be some grand conspiracy. Collins is just trying to cover her own backside, if you ask me 
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! It's crazy how much backlash there was from local leaders and even the public about these intense immigration enforcement efforts 
. And can you believe people were detained under this "Operation Catch of the Day" thing? Detaining ppl with criminal histories just doesn't seem right to me 
. Let's hope this is a step towards a more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone 
. It's about time someone listened to the concerns from local leaders and state officials, Collins is doing a good thing here 
so i was thinking about this whole thing with ice operations in maine and it seems like a huge relief that they've been scaled back 
and the fact that some somali immigrants were targeted by ice authorities is just another level of red flag 
. but i'm glad collins is speaking up about it and pushing for a more reasonable approach to immigration enforcement in maine 
i mean, who wants 200 ppl with criminal histories being detained by federal agents? 
collins is kinda doing the right thing here 
it's a big relief for state leaders who were worried sick about the whole thing. i mean, 200 ppl from different countries being rounded up under one op? sounds like some crazy stuff 