ICE agents have pulled back from an aggressive operation in Maine, according to Sen. Susan Collins, who says the move came after she pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi.<\/b>
\nICE agents have pulled back from an aggressive operation in Maine, according to Sen. Susan Collins, who says the move came after she pressed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to stand down. The immigration enforcement push drew bipartisan criticism after more than 200 people were arrested in the state this week, reports Axios. DHS described the operation as \u00ab\u00a0targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities.\u00a0\u00bb But Collins, a Republican who leads the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the operation was \u00ab\u00a0too sweeping and indiscriminate\u00a0\u00bb and her office was inundated with calls from residents who were fearful and angry about legal immigrants being detained.<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u00a0I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine\u00a0\u00bb, tweeted Collins. DHS has yet to confirm, per Politico. The senator had publicly urged Noem to halt aggressive campaigns in Maine and Minnesota on Monday, in advance of a Friday deadline to pass a spending package that includes funding for DHS. But she has not joined fellow Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska in demanding the secretary’s resignation.<\/p>\n

Collins, whose seat is a prime Democratic target in 2026, said Thursday that she’ll continue working with the secretary on \u00ab\u00a0efforts to end illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other transnational criminal activity\u00a0\u00bb as ICE continues its \u00ab\u00a0normal operations\u00a0\u00bb in Maine, per the Maine Morning Star. Meanwhile, Democrats have threatened to block the spending package unless DHS funding is removed or efforts are made to rein in ICE.<\/p>\n