Dispatch News. ICE COMING TO MAINE. 01.20.26//

After rumors and unconfirmed accounts, two city mayors and the state's governor confirm. ICE intends to shift their resources to the state of Maine.

ICE (immigration and customs enforcement) is coming to Maine. For now, it looks like they will center their focus to spark confusion, fear, and chaos, on Lewiston and Portland. Since the beginning of the year, ICE has ramped up their violence towards immigrants and Americans.

IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS:

On January 6th, 5 years after the Insurrection of the White House in Washington, D.C., ICE moved 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis. According to PBS, officials have said this is the single largest federal immigration enforcement operation ever carried out. This operation has been named "Operation Metro Surge".

A day later, nearly two weeks ago on January 7th, ICE shot and killed Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year old mother of 3, and wife of Becca Good on Portland Avenue in Minneapolis. It sparked national protests, and an immediate propaganda campaign from DHS head Kristi Noem, Vice President J.D. Vance, President Trump, and Trump's other mouthpieces. Good was immediately marked as a domestic terrorist and her now widow an agitator, who is now being investigated by federal investigators, which has prompted an exodus of prosecutors who are against the move.

It has been reported that ICE is also carrying out warrantless arrests. According to the Associated Press, Federal immigration agents forced open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and videos reviewed by The Associated Press. His name was ChongLy “Scott” Thao. His 4 year old grandson saw everything happen, according to reports.

ICE has also been seen on video racially profiling based off of their accent, and there have been several deaths of people in ICE custody since early January. Among many other chaotic, violent and illegal occurrences.

A NOTE: In any history book, fascism is always finding a way to make it Us vs. Them. And yet behind the scenes what the fascist leadership is doing is eroding the rights and freedoms for all. And whoever steps in their way, white or not, will be moved out of the way with whatever means necessary. We know this. So it’s no different that as ICE potentially descends on Lewiston and Portland, that anyone in their way will be moved out of the way. White or not. This will continue to happen and will also happen in other ways as the Trump regime gets more desperate in the coming months.

The reason that's important is that there is a large group of Americans, whether they be Trump supporters or not, that do not believe they will be harmed by a fascist regime. What has happened these past few weeks alone, and from day 1 of his presidency of his second term (never mind the first), is that a fascist regime, in this case Trump's, won't stop unless they are stopped. The vacuuming of power using fear, chaos, division, propaganda, ICE, presidential executive actions, late night social media rants, and more, are not a symptom or mistake. They are pressing on the gas harder on purpose, and they plan to do it even more.

Moving on to Maine:

ICE coming to Maine signifies two things. One is that for them to have to come to Maine, which is overwhelmingly white at 92.3% according to the Census Bureau, shows that they do not have the numbers for deporting people around the country, so they are searching anywhere they can to stoke fear and create chaos in other communities around the country, and that white people are not immune to the regime‘s fist like some of them may have thought they were.

All around the country people are getting injured or killed by ICE, and this includes undocumented immigrants, immigrants, and Americans, which includes white Americans. Renee Nicole Good was a white woman killed by ICE in Minneapolis after trying to vacate an active ICE raid scene.

Residents in Maine have of course been rattled by this. But many immediately went to the streets and protested. On Saturday morning, hundreds of protestors showed up in Portland against ICE coming to the state, according to Portland Press Herald.

Brewer, Maine resident Gianna Lopez spoke to me about about the news of ICE coming to her home state, and expressed her frustration and anger.

"I’m sad and frustrated and so angry. Renee Good’s murder was unjustifiable. I hate that ICE had to shoot a white US citizen for this amount of outrage to arise. So many people refuse to see that the administration’s defense of the agent is a direct threat against anyone who disagrees with them. One of the conservative points is that ICE only goes after illegals or people who deserve it; neither of those are true, and the agency continues to prove that time and time again. I see people cheering on ICE’s arrival in Maine, and I am reminded that my neighbors do not care about our safety. They will not until it directly impacts them. I have no doubt ICE will continue to move north in Maine. Aroostook County is where the majority of Maine’s agricultural output is located, and a lot of farms employ migrant workers."

When asked about how Maine residents are feeling about this and what they may be doing to resist against this, Lopez went on to say, "A lot of people are bracing for impact here. There’s not a ton we can do beyond info swapping—“know your rights” fliers, encouragement to get whistles to blow if you spot ICE, sharing the hotline #, etc."

On Monday, U.S. Attorney Andrew Benson provided a statement about protestors and their role with incoming ICE agents coming to Maine this week. He is quoted as saying, "Anyone who forcibly assaults or impedes a federal law enforcement officer, willfully destroys government property, or unlawfully obstructs federal law enforcement activity commits a federal crime and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

As of Tuesday morning, multiple unconfirmed Reddit posts are saying that ICE has moved into Maine as sub-freezing temperatures engulf the region. It remains to be seen how many agents will descend upon Maine streets, and how long they decide to stay.

Stay tuned.