(DCNF)—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday that it has launched a new immigration enforcement operation in Maine amid reports of large-scale fraud tied to members of the Somali community in the state.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) says it has already arrested 50 people as part of the targeted operation, dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” according to Fox News. The operation has identified about 1,400 targets, including individuals accused of child rape, drug trafficking and sexual assaults, ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde told the outlet.
The Maine operation follows allegations that a Somali-owned company in the state may have engaged in fraud similar to schemes uncovered in Minnesota, where investigations revealed a scheme that ripped off as much as $9 billion in taxpayer-funded assistance programs.
“Governor Mills and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Maine have made it abundantly clear that they would rather stand with criminal illegal aliens than protect law-abiding American citizens,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, we are no longer allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize American citizens.”
Maine officials reportedly learned last week that ICE was preparing to ramp up enforcement in the state and quickly signaled their opposition. Portland Mayor Mark Dion issued a statement condemning the prospect of increased ICE activity.
“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,” Dion said.
“As a reminder, Portland Police does not cooperate with ICE, and they do not participate in enforcing federal immigration law,” he noted.
Officials in Lewiston — one of Maine’s largest cities and home to a sizable Somali population — similarly warned residents that ICE activity could increase.
The Maine deployment follows heightened tensions in Minnesota, where recent ICE operations have faced organized resistance from activist groups. Hostility intensified after the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7 by an ICE officer.
Maine’s top federal prosecutor, Andrew Benson, warned Monday that any interference with federal officers would be met with prosecution.
“In the coming days, if Maine citizens seek to exercise their rights to assemble and protest, it is vital that these protests remain peaceful,” Benson said in a statement. “Anyone who forcibly assaults or impedes a federal law enforcement officer, willfully destroys government property, or unlawfully obstructs federal law enforcement activity commits a federal crime and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
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