MPA response to ICE hostile action against Mainers

January 21, 2026

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In response to operations by ICE in Maine, Maine People’s Alliance is issuing the following response, attributable to Amy Halsted (she/her), MPA co-director:

“We want to be very clear: ICE is not welcome in Maine. Masked militia do not belong in our communities, let alone armed and willing to commit murder. Mainers won’t fall for divisive rhetoric from the Trump regime.

We will protect ourselves, our family members, and our communities from the violence, chaos and fear ICE agents bring with them. Because in Maine, we look out for one another.

While ICE is sending masked agents in unmarked cars to disappear our neighbors, hanging around while our kids board the school bus, and kidnapping parents as they pick up their kids after school, Mainers will not be bullied.

This fascist regime is trying to rob our families of everything we’ve created to care for each other, to finance abducting our neighbors and to line the pockets of their billionaire backers. Mainers will not be complicit in the abductions of neighbors, stealing healthcare from older people, and taking food from kids.

Here’s what needs to happen to protect the people of this state: Ultimately, our Members of Congress must defund ICE. Right now, ICE agents who engage in illegal activities must be disciplined and, when appropriate, face criminal charges. And ICE must leave our communities, where agents are not needed or welcome.”

MPA has also compiled the following list of resources for those wishing to take action, or prepare for the possibility of harassment or detention by ICE agents:

Donate to Maine Solidarity Fund, which provides support to Mainers facing increased detention, targeted harassment, policy rollbacks, and systemic discrimination under the new Trump administration. You can also find several other organizations to donate to in the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition’s Resource Hub.

Report ICE agents in your area. More resources on recording, knowing your rights, and volunteering for ICEWatch are at MIRC’s Resource Hub. Know your rights! You don’t have to open the door to an ICE agent. You don’t have to talk to them, in your home, at work, or on the street. You have the right to a lawyer. You have the right to refuse to be searched if an agent stops you in public. More information from the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP.)

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With more than 32,000 members, MPA is the largest community organization in Maine, and one of the largest in the country. We work together on issues that include but are not limited to housing, care, climate change and environmental justice, health care access, racial justice, and immigrant rights.

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Contact: Nora Flaherty-Stanford (she/her), [email protected], (207) 370-8314