Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Wednesday it is undertaking an enforcement operation in Maine, dubbed "Catch of the Day," saying it was focused on the "worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
A growing number of videos purporting to show arrests in Lewiston and Greater Portland have cropped up in the last two days on social media as residents decry tactics used by ICE officials, who have a field office set up in Scarborough, Maine.
At a press conference in Portland on Thursday, Gov. Janet Mills said she isn't seeing evidence from the Department of Homeland Security that federal agents are focused on arresting people with criminal records in Maine.
Meanwhile local officials in Portland, Lewiston and Westbrook have condemned the operation and say they are not receiving direct communication from ICE or other federal agencies.
We’ll continue to update this story at mainepublic.org.
Reporting: Ari Snider, Esta Pratt-Kielley, Patty Wight
Production: Esta Pratt Kielley with support from Tulley Hescock
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Wednesday it is undertaking an enforcement operation in Maine, dubbed "Catch of the Day," saying it was focused on the "worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens."
A growing number of videos purporting to show arrests in Lewiston and Greater Portland have cropped up in the last two days on social media as residents decry tactics used by ICE officials, who have a field office set up in Scarborough, Maine.
At a press conference in Portland on Thursday, Gov. Janet Mills said she isn't seeing evidence from the Department of Homeland Security that federal agents are focused on arresting people with criminal records in Maine.
Meanwhile local officials in Portland, Lewiston and Westbrook have condemned the operation and say they are not receiving direct communication from ICE or other federal agencies.
We’ll continue to update this story at mainepublic.org.
Reporting: Ari Snider, Esta Pratt-Kielley, Patty Wight
Production: Esta Pratt Kielley with support from Tulley Hescock
