Maine ICE 'Operation Catch of the Day' Arrests Top 200 as Gov. Mills Presses Trump to Withdraw Agents
ICE launched "Operation Catch of the Day" in Maine as part of a broader Trump-era crackdown, deploying roughly 200 federal agents to pursue about 1,400 targets â including many Somali, other African and Central American immigrants â and has arrested over 200 people amid growing fear, school absences and protests in Portland and Lewiston. Governor Janet Mills has demanded answers and urged President Trump to withdraw the agents, calling the tactics reckless, while DHS defends the sweep as targeting the "worst of the worst" and warns of prosecutions for obstruction even as court records and local officials show many arrestees had minor or no convictions.
đ Key Facts
- DHS/ICE launched 'Operation Catch of the Day' in Maine on Tuesday (Jan. 21), deploying about 200 federal agents; DHS says the operation produced more than 200 arrests in the first five days (including reports of 50+ on day one and more than 100 in the first three days).
- ICE officials (Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde) said roughly 1,400 people statewide were targeted, identifying immigrants from Somalia, Senegal, Congo, Guatemala and Honduras; DHS/CBS reporting indicates Somali immigrants and Lewistonâs Somali community were specifically singled out, and the deployment has been linked to an earlier Minneapolis surge.
- DHS leaders publicly framed the operation as going after the 'worst of the worst' and Tricia McLaughlin accused Gov. Janet Mills and 'sanctuary politicians' of siding with 'criminal illegal aliens,' characterizing the move as part of broader disagreements with Maine officials over enforcement cooperation.
- Gov. Janet Mills has asked for an inâperson meeting with President Trump to request withdrawal of ICE agents, saying Maine received no prior explanation of who is being targeted or how long the operation will last and criticizing the raids as sweeping up people with no criminal records and as 'untrained and reckless' in the wake of a recent fatal, ICEâlinked shooting.
- The operation has generated widespread fear and community response in Portland and Lewistonâespecially among Somali and other African refugee communitiesâwith reports of roughly a quarter of some immigrant children not attending school, many people afraid to go to work, spikes in hotline calls, volunteers delivering food, residents posting 'No I.C.E.' signs, filming agents and standing guard at schools and playgrounds.
- Court and local records show a mixed profile of arrestees: while some are violent felons, others have minor, dismissed or no convictionsâraising questions about ICEâs 'worst of the worst' claim (examples cited across reports include Dominic Ali with a prior violent conviction, Elmara Correia with a dismissed charge, and Dany LopezâCortez cited for an OUI).
- Local officials have pushed back: Portland Mayor Mark Dion and city councilors criticized the 'paramilitary' tactics and lack of evidence justifying the surge; Westbrookâs mayor alleged a masked federal officer intimidated a peaceful U.S. citizen observer; meanwhile a U.S. Attorney warned that assaulting or impeding federal officers during protests could lead to prosecution.
- Operational and oversight details reported include Maineâs Secretary of State refusing a CBP request for confidential undercover Maine license plates for unmarked vehicles, ICEâs public branding of the Maine surge as part of a broader massâdeportation campaign, and Sen. Susan Collins discussing oversight measures (body cameras, IG reviews, deâescalation training) with DHS leadership.
đ° Source Timeline (9)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 27, 2026
12:30 PM
ICE Maine operation nabs 200 as governor seeks to ask Trump to remove agents
New information:
- DHS says ICE has arrested more than 200 people in Maine in the last five days under Operation Catch of the Day.
- Gov. Janet Mills has formally requested an inâperson meeting with President Trump to ask him to withdraw ICE agents from Maine.
- Mills publicly criticized the operation as sweeping up people with no criminal record who have jobs and children in Maineâs schools, and called ICE agents' actions 'untrained and reckless' after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
- Mills attacked Sen. Susan Collins on X, accusing her of failing to use her power as Senate Appropriations chair to rein in ICE and calling her stated 'concerns' meaningless without action.
- Collins says she has spoken with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about ICE activity in Maine and points to appropriations provisions for body cameras, IG reviews of detention centers and deâescalation training, but did not share details of the conversation.
January 24, 2026
5:34 AM
Court records raise doubts that ICE is detaining the âworst of the worstâ in Maine
New information:
- AP review of court records shows that while some Maine detainees are violent felons, others flagged by ICE have no convictions or only minor or dismissed charges, contradicting the agencyâs 'worst of the worst' framing.
- Detailed example of Sudan native Dominic Ali: convicted in 2008 of second-degree assault, false imprisonment and obstructing reporting of a crime for a brutal attack on his girlfriend; sentenced in 2009 to five to ten years in prison, later paroled to ICE custody and ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2013, with his current status unclear.
- Case of Angola native Elmara Correia: ICE highlighted her as previously arrested for 'endangering the welfare of a child,' but Maine records show only a 2023 trafficârelated learnerâsâpermit charge that was dismissed; she has filed a habeas petition, and a judge issued a temporary emergency order barring her transfer from the Massachusetts detention center where she is held.
- Case of Guatemalan national Dany LopezâCortez, cited by ICE as a 'criminal illegal alien' for an OUI conviction; Portlandâs mayor publicly questions whether a single OUI conviction qualifies as 'worst of the worst' in Maine, where such cases are common.
- Portland Mayor Mark Dion criticizes ICE for failing to distinguish between arrests and convictions in its public release and for not explaining whether sentences were completed, challenging the integrity of the agencyâs public narrative.
January 23, 2026
11:47 PM
'We're being terrorized.' What Mainers are seeing as ICE launches operation in the state
New information:
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told PBS that 'more than 100 arrests' were made in the first three days of Operation Catch of the Day.
- McLaughlin characterized those first-day arrests as including 'the worst of the worst,' citing offenses like aggravated assault, false imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.
- Gov. Janet Mills publicly questioned 'Why Maine? Why now?' and said the state has asked DHS for details on who is being targeted, where arrests are occurring and how long the operation will last but has received no answers.
- The Maine Immigrantsâ Rights Coalition reports a major spike in calls to its volunteer hotline as the operation began, with advocacy director Ruben Torres describing widespread 'confusion, fear, panic' among immigrants.
- PBS notes that immigrants make up about 4% of Maineâs population, underscoring how unusual a 1,400âtarget operation is in a relatively small immigrant community.
10:04 AM
In Portland, Maine, Where âEveryone Knows Everyone,â ICE Is Raising Hackles
New information:
- Portland residents are responding to the ICE surge by posting 'No I.C.E.' signs in windows, filming traffic stops by masked agents, and standing guard at school playgrounds.
- The piece captures Portlandâs smallâtown social fabric â a city of about 70,000 'where everyone knows everyone' â and how that magnifies the sense of siege.
- Specific arrest anecdotes include a 64âyearâold Lyft driver, whose family only learned of his detention from a bystanderâs video, and a Cumberland County correctionsâofficer trainee whom Sheriff Kevin Joyce says passed background checks, had no criminal record and was working legally.
January 21, 2026
10:35 PM
ICE reels in the worst of the worst with 'Operation Catch of the Day' in Maine
New information:
- Confirms that Operation Catch of the Day launched Tuesday and that ICE arrested "over 50" people on the first day.
- Specifies that ICE has identified about 1,400 targets statewide under the operation, per ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde.
- Details DHS framing that the operation follows "ongoing disagreements" with Maine officials over cooperation with immigration enforcement.
- Adds DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlinâs new quote accusing Gov. Janet Mills and other state leaders of preferring "criminal illegal aliens" over lawâabiding citizens and calling those targeted the "worst of the worst."
- Provides specific named examples of individuals arrested (Dominic Ali of Sudan, Ambessa Berhe of Ethiopia, Elmara Correia of Angola, Dany LopezâCortez of Guatemala) and lists their prior convictions.
- Includes Portland Mayor Mark Dionâs public statement rejecting the need for a disproportionate ICE presence, saying there is "no evidence of unchecked criminal activity" to justify the surge.
9:33 PM
ICE activity increases in Maine as anxiety grows in immigrant communities
New information:
- Confirms DHS has named the Maine surge 'Catch of the Day' and situates it explicitly as part of the Trump administrationâs broader mass-deportation campaign.
- Details that Portland and Lewiston immigrant communitiesâespecially Somali and other African refugeesâare seeing 'about a quarter' of immigrants not showing up at school and many afraid to go to work.
- Reports that Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows refused a CBP request for confidential undercover Maine license plates for unmarked vehicles, citing concerns about appropriate use.
- Describes citizen response networks in Portland bringing food to immigrants, alerting neighborhoods to ICE presence, and businesses posting signs saying ICE agents arenât welcome.
- Quotes Portland Mayor Mark Dion and Councilor Pious Ali criticizing a 'paramilitary approach' and saying the council 'stands with' immigrant communities.
9:20 PM
Trump administration launches ICE âOperation Catch of the Dayâ in Maine
New information:
- Confirms that 'Operation Catch of the Day' formally launched on Tuesday in Maine with at least 200 federal agents involved.
- Quotes ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde saying agents are targeting about 1,400 people from Somalia, Senegal, Congo, Guatemala and Honduras.
- Reports that DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin publicly accused Gov. Janet Mills and 'sanctuary politicians' of siding with 'criminal illegal aliens' over citizens.
- Details Gov. Janet Millsâ onâtheârecord warnings that provocative tactics that undermine civil rights are 'not welcome here' and that she received no confirmation or denial from Trump officials before the raids.
- Reiterates that Operation Catch of the Day is designed to arrest and detain people suspected of fraud and other crimes for roughly 30âday reviews, tying it explicitly to the earlier Minnesota surge and DOJ subpoenas of state leaders.
9:02 PM
ICE launches latest immigration arrest operation in Maine
New information:
- DHS told CBS that Somali immigrants are among those being specifically targeted in the Maine operation, linking the sweep to the stateâs Somali community in places like Lewiston.
- President Trump, speaking at Davos, tied his wider crackdown to alleged 'Somalian bandits' in Minnesota and mocked Somalis as 'low IQ people' before claiming they stole 'more than $19 billion' â an unsubstantiated, inflammatory figure.
- DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin issued a politicized statement accusing Gov. Janet Mills and 'sanctuary politicians' of siding with 'criminal illegal aliens' over 'lawâabiding American citizens.'
- Westbrook Mayor David Morse said ICE arrested people in his suburb on Tuesday and Wednesday and alleged that a masked federal officer 'targeted for intimidation' a peaceful U.S. citizen observer, calling the behavior outrageous.
- U.S. Attorney Andrew Benson preâteed the operation with a statement warning that anyone who assaults, impedes or obstructs federal officers or destroys government property during protests 'will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'
- The piece directly connects the Maine deployment to the earlier Minneapolis surge and the Jan. 7 killing of U.S. citizen Renee Good by an ICE officer, noting that scrutiny of ICE tactics has intensified nationwide.