ICE Launches ‘Operation Catch of the Day’ in Maine

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says it is targeting the ‘worst criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities.’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents confront protesters in front of the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Jan. 12, 2026. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun an operation targeting illegal immigrants in Maine, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Jan. 21.

In a statement, the department said that “Operation Catch of the Day” would go after the “worst criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities” and that it started on Jan. 20. The agency highlighted arrests of multiple illegal immigrants with prior convictions.

“We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “On the first day of operations, we arrested illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child.”

The DHS statement included mugshots of illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds, including people from Ethiopia, Sudan, Angola, and Guatemala. Some of the other charges listed include cocaine possession, driving under the influence, violation of a protective order, and obstructing justice, it said.

ICE Assistant Director Patricia Hyde told Fox News in an interview on Jan. 20 that ICE is targeting about 1,400 individuals in Maine who have been convicted of “rape of a child, drug trafficking, sexual assaults,” and more.

Local Democrats criticized the federal enforcement operation.

Ahead of ICE’s arrival, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, said she wouldn’t grant a request for confidential license plates sought by Customs and Border Protection.

“We have not revoked existing plates but have paused issuance of new plates,” Bellows said.

The DHS announcement came after Maine Gov. Janet Mills, U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), and several Democratic mayors said they were expecting ICE to soon begin a deportation operation in their state.

“If they come here, I want any federal agents—and the president of the United States—to know what this state stands for,” Mills, a Democrat, said in an X post. “We stand for the rule of law. We oppose violence. We stand for peaceful protest. We stand for compassion, for integrity and justice.”

The mayors of Lewiston and Portland also commented that ICE agents would be coming to their cities.

King, an independent senator who caucuses with the Democrats, said in a statement that any ICE operations should cause people to “be mindful of the rights that [the U.S.] Constitution gives to every man, woman, and child in this nation.”

Portland Public Schools, the largest and most diverse district in Maine, said it kept the doors locked at two schools for a few minutes on Jan. 20 because of concerns regarding ICE.

“This is an understandably tense time in our community, as reports and rumors of immigration enforcement actions grow,” the district said.

The operations in Maine, in Minnesota, and in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to deport illegal immigrants, especially those with criminal backgrounds.

During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump frequently referenced his plan of mass deportations to stop illegal immigration. After he took office in 2025, he signed a number of executive orders related to illegal immigration and U.S. border security.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.