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ICE is headed to Maine
The Mayors of Portland and Lewiston confirmed Wednesday ICE's imminent presence.
Marisa Kabas
January 14, 2026
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As ICE continues its deadly assault on Minneapolis and communities throughout the country, its likely next target has been revealed: The state of Maine. On Tuesday I learned that people were gearing up for enforcement actions based on rumors, and by Wednesday the mayors of the state's two largest cities addressed it, decrying ICE tactics as a “paramilitary approach.”
Mayor of Portland Mayor Mark Dion issued this statement Wednesday afternoon:
“Our community is anxious and fearful regarding the understanding that ICE is planning to send agents to Portland and Lewiston next week. We are a welcoming city. There is no evidence of unchecked criminal activity in our community requiring a disproportionate presence of federal agents. 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.”
“The City Council and I stand, not apart, but with our lawfully admitted immigrant and refugee communities. I urge our residents to look out for one another. 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. As a reminder, Portland Police does not cooperate with ICE and they do not participate in enforcing federal immigration law. If you decide to protest or demonstrate, keep your efforts peaceful and consistent with the expectations for lawful behavior that we all share.”
Just before Dion’s statement, Carl Sheline, Mayor of Lewiston, Maine published a statement of his own via Facebook confirming that ICE would be coming to their city as well.
It's my understanding that there will be ICE enforcement in Lewiston, Maine 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. As a reminder, Lewiston Police do not enforce federal law.
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. Please find more information here: https://www.aclumaine.org/preparingforice/
Located 30 or so miles north of Portland, Lewiston is home to a large Somali-American population that goes back decades. There are an estimated 6,000 Somalis in Maine, with a large portion of that population concentrated in Lewiston. ICE would not confirm whether or not that was the basis for targeting Lewiston, or even confirm pending enforcement in the city or state. When reached for comment, an ICE spokesperson told The Handbasket Wednesday morning: “For reasons of operational security and officer safety, ICE does not comment on ongoing, upcoming or planned enforcement operations.”
A government source in Portland confirmed Mayor Dion and Mayor Sheline met on Tuesday to discuss how to handle the incoming ICE presence. There’s an ICE detention center in Scarborough, Maine just south of Portland which local sources speculate will serve as a home base for ICE actions in the area.
Thanks to unfounded claims last month by a right wing Youtuber of widespread fraud across Minneapolis childcare centers run by Somali Americans, the community has become a target of ICE ire. The Trump administration announced this week it would be ending Temporary Protective Status for immigrants from Somalia, which has allowed them to live and work legally in the US. And predating this is the constant drumbeat of threats against Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a fierce progressive champion and herself a Somalian refugee who came seeking asylum in the US with her family. Now it seems that ire will be extended to the Somali community in Maine.
As rumors of ICE activity began to swirl earlier in the week, Portland Public Schools put out this statement in their community newsletter:
The Portland Public Schools is dedicated to creating a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and families. In light of our community’s concerns about safety following enforcement actions in Maine and nationwide by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), we have recently updated our district's procedures regarding requests from ICE or other non-local law enforcement to access school property or student information. The district’s protocols, based on guidance from legal counsel, provide guidance to PPS staff to safeguard students’ well-being in the event of non-local law enforcement action on or near PPS grounds, buses, or events. All staff are being trained on these protocols and on the civil rights laws that relate to immigration enforcement issues. We have also engaged with Portland Police, and they have agreed that if they learn of any enforcement action planned at a school, they will work to ensure that it does not occur there. We commit to transparent and timely communication with the community when there is confirmed law enforcement on or near school grounds. Learn more about school safety on the District Immigration Guidance page on our website.
Attendance at Portland schools was down by as much as 25% this week, according to the government source, out of fear among immigrant families that ICE might already be lurking. I’ve been in touch with Portland Public Schools to confirm this figure, but they have not yet provided any statistics.
Though it’s probably obvious, it’s important to underline that there are no current violent crime threats in either Portland nor Lewiston from immigrants or US citizens. According to analysis from October, Lewiston is among the top 10 safest cities in America based on a formula of home and community safety, natural disaster risk and financial safety. But as we’ve well-learned by now, this administration doesn’t need any legitimate pretense to invade safe American communities and leave them much worse off than they found them.
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