Immigration Crackdown In Maine Is A Top Issue In Battle For Key Senate Seat - Beritaja

Demonstrators be an anti-ICE rally successful Lewiston, Maine, connected Jan. 24. On Jan. 21, national migration authorities from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) launched a caller enforcement cognition successful Maine called Operation Catch of the Day, aimed astatine identifying and arresting undocumented immigrants. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

As the only Republican legislator up for reelection successful a authorities that didn't backmost Donald Trump successful 2024, Maine Sen. Susan Collins was already considered 1 of the GOP's about susceptible incumbents headed into the midterms.

Then came an migration enforcement surge past period targeting immoderate of Maine's largest and about divers communities.

Department of Homeland Security officials said the surge — dubbed Operation Catch of the Day successful an evident pun connected Maine's sportfishing practice — would target "the worst of the worst." But eyewitness reports, cellphone videos and news reports suggested the masked, heavy equipped agents were taking a overmuch broader reach.

A civilian technologist and caller University of Maine postgraduate from Colombia pinch a activity licence was arrested during his greeting commute. Two asylum-seekers legally moving astatine region jails were detained. A month-old babe was showered by glass aft agents collapsed a car model to snag his father, an migrant pinch nary criminal record.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, enters the U.S. Capitol connected Jan. 27. Collins announced her scheme to tally for a sixth word connected Feb. 10. Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Heather Diehl/Getty Images

In stepped Collins.

"I called Secretary [Kristi] Noem because I was very concerned about what I was proceeding from constituents and seeing successful news reports and ... it besides struck maine that the word that was being used, 'Catch of the Day,' was highly offensive," Collins told Maine Public Radio past week. "I told her that I felt that ICE officials had gone excessively acold — that they were not focusing connected group who are present illegally and had criminal records."

A about 30-year Senate veteran, Collins holds arguably 1 of the about influential positions successful Congress arsenic chair of the budget-writing Senate Appropriations Committee. In that role, Collins tried past period to discuss a backing woody for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

At that time, Collins said, she "kept pushing [Noem] to suspend and cease the enhanced operations successful the authorities of Maine — and she agreed to do truthful successful consequence to my request."

Although migration agents continue to operate successful the separator state, the highly visible enforcement surge appeared to subside aft Collins said pinch Noem. But the senator's critics backmost location aren't giving her the credit.

"Susan Collins didn't make that happen," said Graham Platner, an oysterman, Marine Corps seasoned and Democrat whose progressive Senate run has attracted immense crowds since the summer.

U.S. senatorial campaigner Graham Platner of Maine speaks astatine a municipality hallway connected Oct. 22, 2025, successful Ogunquit, Maine. Platner, a Marine Corps veteran, oyster husbandman and Democrat, is moving for the spot held by Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Sophie Park/Getty Images

Sophie Park/Getty Images

Platner based on that the existent logic ICE and DHS reduced their beingness successful Maine is communities organized against them. In fact, Platner blamed Collins for the existent business because, he said, she could person utilized her power complete national backing to unit the Trump management to alteration its tactics.

"I mean, she's done perfectly thing to extremity ICE," Platner said. "She has done perfectly thing to effort to rein successful the behaviour of the Trump management complete the past year. "

Platner's main force successful the June Democratic primary, two-term Gov. Janet Mills, has besides made ICE and the migration crackdown a cardinal run issue.

During her State of the State address, delivered respective days into the enforcement surge, Mills accused the Trump management of "stoking fearfulness successful our communities ... and arresting group not connected nationalist information grounds but based connected quotas, connected tegument color, connected accents, connected religion, connected taste origin."

"We will not beryllium intimidated — we will not beryllium silenced," Mills said. "And to anyone extracurricular these halls, including immoderate national officials, I say, 'If you activity to harm Maine people, you will person to spell done maine first.'"

As lawyer wide and now governor, Mills erstwhile had a seemingly friends moving narration pinch Collins. But now, the mean Democrat routinely portrays Collins arsenic being unwilling to guidelines up to President Trump.

"Right now, she's voting to money ICE — to proceed to money ICE without immoderate standards, without immoderate substantive controls, without immoderate accountability," Mills told reporters past week. "The group of this state want accountability."

Democratic groups are targeting Collins pinch the aforesaid message. A group tied to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has endorsed Mills, is spending much than $2 cardinal connected tv and integer ads successful Maine hitting Collins connected the rumor of ICE and DHS funding.

Collins' run has called those ads "false and intentionally misleading." Collins besides pointed retired that the Republican-backed type of the DHS fund measure still stalled successful Congress contains about $20 cardinal for assemblage cameras and de-escalation training for ICE agents. The agency is presently unopen down arsenic Democrats request broader reforms wrong ICE, specified arsenic prohibiting masked agents, earlier approving funding.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills speaks during a moderated chat among Northeast governors and Canadian premiers connected the impacts of President Trump's tariffs, successful Boston connected June 16, 2025. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

In an interview, Collins said it "remains to beryllium seen" whether Trump's policies will beryllium a facet successful her reelection bid.

"But I americium moving connected my grounds of independence," Collins said. "I support the president arsenic I person each different president that I've worked pinch erstwhile I deliberation he is right. I reason them erstwhile I deliberation he is wrong."

The Collins campaign's repeated usage of the connection "independence" is strategic. Nearly one-third of Maine voters are independents, aliases unaffiliated, making them the second-largest voting artifact aft Democrats. Those independents person been important to Collins' past victories, including successful 2020 erstwhile she defeated a better-funded Democrat by 9 percent points.

But Dan Shea, a professor of authorities astatine Colby College and a longtime governmental perceiver successful Maine, pointed retired that independents accounted for about 40% of Maine voters a fewer decades ago. Shea said that displacement has mostly benefited the Democratic Party.

"It's a bluish state, but it's becoming much profoundly blue," Shea said. "So that's a large rumor for the senator. She wins by split-ticket voters, by unaffiliated voters, independents. And that excavation is getting smaller."

Shea said Collins will apt run difficult connected her expertise to bring location money arsenic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The spending package passed by Congress past period contains much than $300 cardinal successful "congressionally directed spending" for Maine that was requested by Collins.

But the bigger headwinds facing Collins and different Republicans, Shea said, is what he projects will beryllium a monolithic turnout this autumn by Democrats motivated by their anger complete Trump's policies — pinch migration perchance topping that list.

"I deliberation her relation pinch the Republicans successful Washington is going to wounded her successful Maine," Shea said. "I deliberation she's the underdog. She whitethorn triumph — she's a awesome campaigner. Again, she's known crossed the state. But 1 thing's for sure: I deliberation it's going to beryllium wicked tight."