ILAP Statement on Announcement from Senator Collins on ICE Operation in Maine

Maine – The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project is seeing a drop in new requests for emergency legal help for people arrested by ICE in Maine. We have responded to over 60 requests for help made on behalf of people detained by ICE and are actively fighting to secure the freedom of many of these detained individuals. We hope that ICE’s enhanced operation in our state has ended, but we caution people that an end to the operation does not mean the end of all ICE or Border Patrol enforcement in our state now or going forward.

Advocacy in Action, Press Mentions, ILAP NewsVonnie TullJanuary 29, 2026ice detention

Legal advocates urge Mainers to know their rights amid rumors of increase in ICE operations

Gov. Janet Mills and the mayors of Portland and Lewiston say they're bracing for a potential increase in immigration enforcement operations as soon as next week. Details remain scarce, and a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Wednesday the agency does not discuss future or potential operations.

These immigrants do one of Maine’s most dangerous jobs. Then came Trump’s crackdown.

Immigration authorities have rounded up Ecuadorian roofers from Aroostook to southern Maine since Donald Trump took office. The trend provides a window into how the president’s deportation agenda has targeted a community that has quietly shaped the region’s blue-collar economy.

How police discretion has contributed to immigration arrests, and how that’ll change

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project has heard this fear from clients firsthand.

“People are afraid to leave their homes. They are afraid to go to work. They’re afraid to be on the roadways. They are afraid to send their children to school,” Parisio said. “They’re afraid to call the police for help in any situation, whether that’s protection from domestic violence, coming forward about labor exploitation and trafficking, serving as witnesses in criminal cases.”

Press MentionsJolene McGowanDecember 18, 2025Enforcement, ICE, Detention, Maine Legislature

Gov. Mills OKs restrictions on local involvement in immigration enforcement

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project confirmed to Maine Morning Star that its clients have been denied the right to have their attorneys present at appointments at the field office over the past few months, including during check-in appointments for people who are in immigration court proceedings. Arrests at such proceedings have been reported elsewhere across the country.

Press MentionsJolene McGowanDecember 17, 2025Enforcement, ICE, Detention, Maine Legislature

Gov. Mills allows LD 1971 to become law, calling it “imperfect” but necessary amid ongoing immigration debates.

Sue Roche with the Maine Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project said the law helps ensure that local police resources aren’t being used to carry out federal immigration enforcement.

Press MentionsJolene McGowanDecember 17, 2025Immigration Policy, ice detention, Racial Justice

Gov. Mills to limit local law enforcement's contact with ICE and CBP

"We are really just thrilled about this," said Sue Roche, the executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project.

Roche said this will ensure that Maine's resources are being used properly.

"It instructs Maine's law enforcement to focus on the important role of protecting public safety, and not to divert local resources to assist the federal administration in reaching its immigration enforcement quotas," she said.

Press MentionsGuest UserDecember 16, 2025ICE, ice detention, Immigration Policy, Chellie Pingree

Gov. Mills will let bill to limit police cooperation with federal immigration agents to become law

Sue Roche, executive director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, hailed the Governor's decision, saying in a written statement that it "ensures that Maine’s resources aren’t being diverted to further terrorize individuals and families, rip workers out of their jobs, destroy public trust, and create chaos and fear."

Press MentionsJolene McGowanDecember 15, 2025Legal Resources, Portland Press Herald, ice detention, ICE, Chellie Pingree

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