U.S. Senator Susan Collins said Thursday that federal immigration officials have halted their controversial enforcement surge in Maine, a move that follows weeks of arrests, mounting political pressure, and quiet negotiations with the Trump administration.
Collins, a Republican seeking reelection this year, said she had multiple direct communications with Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, before the decision was made. “There are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations here,” Collins said in a statement. “I have been urging Secretary Noem and others in the Administration to get ICE to reconsider its approach to immigration enforcement in the state.”
May 20, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; Sen. Susan Collins (D-Maine) asks Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. questions as he testifies in front of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies, in Washington, D.C., on May 20, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Josh Morgan-USA TODAY
The announcement came as President Donald Trump appeared to signal a desire to lower tensions nationwide following a second deadly shooting involving federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Collins said Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol would continue what she described as their “normal operations” in Maine, but that the recent escalation had ended.
The enforcement surge began more than a week ago under an ICE operation ominously dubbed “Catch of the Day.” Federal officials said roughly 50 arrests were made on the first day alone, with approximately 1,400 people listed as operational targets in the mostly rural state of 1.4 million residents. About four percent of Maine’s population is foreign-born.
By late last week, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin publicly celebrated the arrests, claiming some detainees had been convicted of “horrific crimes.” Court records later complicated that narrative, showing that while some individuals had violent felony records, others were detained despite having unresolved immigration cases or no criminal convictions at all.
Collins, a longtime Senate fixture, has walked a careful line throughout the controversy. She has not called for Noem’s resignation and has largely avoided direct criticism of ICE tactics, limiting her objections to concerns that people legally residing in the United States should not be swept up in enforcement actions.
Democratic Governor Janet Mills, who announced her Senate candidacy last October and could face Collins in the general election, has taken a more confrontational stance. Mills has demanded judicial warrants, real-time arrest data, and transparency about who is being detained in Maine. She has also urged Collins to intervene after House Republicans blocked Democratic efforts to restrict ICE funding.
Mills’ office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Collins’ announcement.
Meanwhile, political pressure continues to build from the left. First-time Democratic candidate Graham Platner, who is challenging Mills in the primary, criticized both leaders for what he called their failure to confront ICE head-on. Platner has demanded the agency be dismantled entirely and on Thursday organized a protest outside Collins’ office in Portland, where supporters held signs and sang protest songs.
Platner said another protest is planned outside Collins’ Bangor office.
