A woman allegedly interfered with Brewer police officers Wednesday morning because she “didn’t want ICE” in her neighborhood.
Brewer police were looking into a person of interest in a series of school “swatting” hoaxes about 8:16 a.m. for another law enforcement agency.
While officers were gathered outside a Brewer home to make contact with that person, a woman allegedly interfered with police, sounding an air horn, swearing at officers and refusing orders to leave.
The woman reportedly told Brewer police that she “didn’t want ICE” in her neighborhood.
Police eventually determined that the person of interest in Brewer was not responsible for the school threats.
“Her actions interfered with legitimate law enforcement operations and created a real risk to the investigating officers,” the department said Wednesday.
That comes as the state has seen an uptick in activity from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, particularly in Lewiston and Greater Portland as part of President Donald Trump’s broad crackdown on illegal immigration. The increased presence of ICE agents has set some communities on edge in the aftermath of the agency’s actions in other U.S. cities, such as Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles and New Orleans.
There does not appear to be a connection between the ICE operation and the “swatting” hoaxes that have hit schools in Houlton, Old Town and Winslow, sending them into lockdowns or lockouts.
Both Bangor and Brewer have not received threats, though Bangor police have increased their presence around the Queen City’s schools as a precaution.
In a “swatting” hoax, someone typically sends a threatening message or reports a fake emergency to police in order to spur a large law enforcement presence in a particular area. That is sometimes done in retaliation or to create general panic.