Maine, the US’s whitest state, has been shaken by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, a crackdown that could threaten Republican control of the Senate in November’s crucial midterm elections.
Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) agents launched “Operation Catch of the Day” in the state on 21 January, targeting “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities”, according to the administration.
As critics said the operation had caused “pain and suffering”, Senator Susan Collins, a Republican facing a re-election this year in a state that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, claimed she spoke with Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, who told her the operation has ended at her request.
But residents doubt Collins has defanged ICE and say the agency is still making its presence known and causing chaos in the bucolic state nicknamed Vacationland.
“I don’t think anyone here has any trust that will be lasting,” Matt Schlobohm, executive director of the Maine AFL-CIO, a state federation of more than 200 local labor unions in Maine. “You can’t turn a tiger into a vegetarian.”
Workers and labor unions in Maine claimed ICE is racially profiling people and has created an environment where people of color are under “an occupation” impeding their freedom of movement.
US energy secretary Chris Wright plans to visit Venezuela soon to “start the dialogue” with officials on the future leadership of Venezuelan oil company PDVSA, Politico reported on Monday.
Wright, who plans to visit some of the nation’s oilfields, told Politico: “PDVSA was a highly professional, technically competent oil and gas company 30 years ago, and it hasn’t been one for quite some time.“
He intended to improve the management of the state-run oil company which has emerged as an obstacle in the Trump administration’s efforts to push international oil companies to invest in the country, the report said.
US vice-president JD Vance will visit Armenia and Azerbaijan this week to push a Washington-brokered peace agreement that could transform energy and trade routes in the strategic South Caucasus region.
His two-day trip to Armenia, which begins later on Monday, comes just six months after the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders signed an agreement at the White House seen as the first step towards peace after nearly 40 years of war, Reuters reports.
Vance, the first US vice-president to visit Armenia, is seeking to advance the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a proposed 43km (27 mile) corridor that would run across southern Armenia and give Azerbaijan a direct route to its exclave of Nakhchivan and in turn to Turkey, Baku’s close ally.
“Vance’s visit should serve to reaffirm the US’s commitment to seeing the Trump route through,” said Joshua Kucera, a senior South Caucasus analyst at Crisis Group.
“In a region like the Caucasus, even a small amount of attention from the US can make a significant impact.“
Ghislaine Maxwell intends to plead fifth amendment in upcoming deposition, lawmaker says
In other news, Ghislaine Maxwell is expected to plead the fifth amendment to avoid self-incrimination during her deposition in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee later today, according to a letter from Democratic congressman Ro Khanna to the committee chair.
Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 for her role in helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Instead of answering individual questions, Maxwell intends to read a prepared statement at the beginning of her deposition, Khanna, who serves on the committee, said without detailing the source of his information.
“This position appears inconsistent with Ms. Maxwell’s prior conduct, as she did not invoke the fifth amendment when she previously met with deputy attorney general Todd Blanche to discuss substantially similar subject matter,” Khanna wrote in his letter seeking clarification on her testimony.
It comes after the Department of Justice released millions of files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a well-connected financier who officials say killed himself in federal custody in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The House of Representatives’ oversight committee is investigating Epstein’s connections to powerful figures and how information about his crimes was handled.
Updated
Less than 14% of ICE arrestees in Trump's first year back in office had violent criminal records, documents indicate
As we referenced in the opening post, Puerto Rican megastar Bad Bunny used his speech at the Grammys at the start of the month to call out anti-immigration sentiment that has surged amid ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) operations which have caused terror in communities across American states. At least eight people have been killed by federal agents or have died while in ICE custody in 2026 so far.
It has now emerged that under 14% of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE in Trump’s first year back in office had charges or convictions for violent criminal offences, an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document obtained by CBS News shows.
This seriously undermines the administration’s frequent claims that the operations are targeting illegal immigrants who are violent and need to be deported for public safety.
According to the DHS document, nearly 60% of ICE arrestees over the past year had criminal charges or convictions, although most were for non-violent crimes.
Trump says Bad Bunny's historic Super Bowl show was 'absolutely terrible'
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of US politics. Donald Trump has said Bad Bunny’s historic Super Bowl half-time show performance celebrating Latino heritage and culture was “absolutely terrible” and “an affront to the Greatness of America”.
The Puerto Rican musician was reported to have made history by becoming the first Super Bowl half-time show headliner to perform (nearly) entirely in Spanish, and to host a wedding during the show, which included appearances from Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, among others.
In a lengthy Truth Social Post published after, Trump wrote:
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.
Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.
This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day – including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!
There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.
Sunday’s performance came a week after Bad Bunny’s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ became the first Spanish-language album to win the Grammy for album of the year, building more anticipation for his Super Bowl show, still one of the staples of the American cultural calendar.
The selection of the 31-year-old, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, to perform drew criticism from rightwing media commentators, as he has been vocally critical of ICE and of Trump and his administration’s authoritarian immigration policies.
“God bless America!” Bad Bunny shouted toward the end of the half-time show, which ran to nearly 14 minutes. He then gave a roll call of the countries of North, South and Central America, including Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, the US and Canada.
A colourful parade of flags from those nations marched through the sugar plantation fields that functioned as the energetic show’s centerpiece. You can read the Guardian’s five-star review of the performance here.
Updated
