[Left-wing boo-hoos...] DHS launches 'Operation Catch of the Day' enforcement action in Maine

https://abcnews.go.com/US/dhs-launches-operation-catch-day-enforcement-
action-maine/story?id=129428764

The Department of Homeland Security has now picked another state on which 
to focus its immigration enforcement action: Maine.

On Wednesday, DHS launched "Operation Catch of the Day" -- an operation 
targeting criminal illegal migrants in the state, according to a DHS 
spokesperson.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin singled out Maine Gov. Janet 
Mills, a Democrat, and "her fellow sanctuary politicians" for prompting 
the need for the federal immigration crackdown in Maine.

"We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the 
worst criminal illegal aliens in the state. On the first day of 
operations, we arrested illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, 
false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child," McLaughlin 
said in a statement. "Under President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] 
Noem, we are no longer allowing criminal illegal aliens to terrorize 
American citizens."

It was not immediately clear how long DHS plans to keep U.S. Immigration 
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Maine or if the Customs and Border 
Protection agents currently operating in Minneapolis will move to Maine. 

Mills, who has had previous run-ins with President Donald Trump over the 
past year, is running for the U.S. Senate.

In a statement released on Monday, Andrew Benson, the U.S. attorney for 
the District of Maine, said people have the right to protest, but not turn 
to violence, and seemed to indicate a DHS operation was coming.

"In the coming days, if Maine citizens seek to exercise their rights to 
assemble and protest, it is vital that these protests remain peaceful," 
Benson said. "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.

There was no immediate comment from Mills on the ICE operation in Maine. 
But in a Jan. 14 video statement released on social media, Mills said she 
and members of her administration had unsuccessfully attempted to glean 
any information about the federal government's enforcement plans in her 
state.

Mills said the state was taking proactive steps to prepare for the 
immigration crackdown.

"I have directed the Maine State Police to work closely with local law 
enforcement as necessary, to provide whatever support is needed in advance 
of and during any potential federal operations," Mills said.

She said her administration had also been in contact with city officials 
in Portland and Lewiston, the largest cities in Maine, as well as the 
state attorney general, "to coordinate our response."

"If any operations take place, our goal as always will be to protect the 
safety and the rights of the people of Maine," Mills said. "Look, Maine 
knows what good law enforcement looks like because our law enforcement are 
held to high professional standards, they undergo substantial professional 
training, and they are accountable to the law. And I'll tell you this, 
they don't wear a mask to shield their identities, and they don't arrest 
people in order to fill a quota."

Mills said she fully supported the right for the people of her state to 
protest, as long as they do so peacefully.

She also directed a message to the federal government.

"If your plan is to come here to be provocative and to undermine the civil 
rights of Maine residents, do not be confused. Those tactics are not 
welcome here," she said.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline slammed ICE in a statement on Wednesday, 
saying the agency's "terror and intimidation tactics reflect a complete 
lack of humanity and concern for basic human welfare."

"These masked men with no regard for the rule of law are causing long-term 
damage to our state and to our country," Sheline said. "Lewiston stands 
for the dignity of all the people who call Maine home. We will never stop 
caring for our neighbors."


-- 
November 5, 2024 - Congratulations President Donald Trump.  We look 
forward to America being great again.

We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that 
stupid people won't be offended.

Every day is an IQ test. Some pass, some, not so much.

Thank you for cleaning up the disasters of the 2008-2017, 2020-2024 Obama 
/ Biden / Harris fiascos, President Trump.

Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the 
The World According To Garp.  Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood 
queer liberal democrat donors.