ICE has conducted intensified immigration enforcement operations in Maine beginning in January 2026. ICE deputy assistant director Patricia Hyde confirmed nearly 50 arrests as part of "Operation Catch of the Day," with a target list of 1,400 people in the state. By May 2026, enforcement activity escalated further in Portland and Lewiston, with the Maine Immigrants' Rights Coalition reporting a 75 percent increase in calls to its immigrant defense hotline over two weeks. Those detained include an Ecuadorian mother, a Honduran father with U.S. citizen children, and an Angolan woman seeking to work as a nurse. Local advocacy groups report ICE is targeting people around their homes, primarily those in lawful immigration processes with no criminal records, including asylum seekers with pending applications. Local officials in Portland and Lewiston expressed concern about ICE's tactics and lack of communication with city authorities, and noted increased fear in immigrant communities.