ICE has ended its enforcement surge in Maine, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Thursday, citing a conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is retreating from an enforcement operation amid growing bipartisan backlash over tactics, including two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota and the arrests of legal immigrants in Maine.
Flashback: Collins, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee as a Friday DHS funding deadline looms, asked Noem on Monday to pause the enforcement surge in both Maine and Minnesota, following more than 200 arrests in Maine in a week.
- Collins called recent immigration operations "too sweeping and indiscriminate." She told Maine Public Radio she received calls from constituents who were afraid and angry because the operation was sweeping up people who were in the U.S. legally.
- She rejected Noem's characterization of Alex Pretti — shot by a Border Patrol agent Saturday in Minneapolis — as engaging in "domestic terrorism."
What they're saying: "While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine," Collins posted on X.
Yes, but: Collins has stopped short of joining Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in calling for Noem's ouster, telling reporters Wednesday she's "still talking with her."
Between the lines: Collins faces a tough re-election race in the blue state against opponents who have hammered the administration over its immigration operations.
- Collins' seat is the only Republican-held Senate seat up for election in 2026 in a state that Kamala Harris won in 2024, making it Democrats' top target for the midterms.
