PORTLAND, Maine — Roughly 1,200 people marched along Congress Street on Friday night to protest an immigration enforcement surge in Maine this week.
The protests blocked a lane of traffic from Monument Square to Longfellow Square and back, chanting against U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. People braved the 18-degree temperatures to listen to roughly an hour of speakers. The march ended without incident.
People gathered after about 100 people were detained by ICE in Maine this week. The detentions were part of the Maine immigration enforcement surge dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day. President Donald Trump’s administration has said it is aimed at the “worst of the worst” criminals, but some with work permits and no criminal records have also been arrested.
It was the largest protest so far during the four-day operation in Maine. A march was not planned, but once organizers saw the crowd size, it was necessary, said Ryan Murphy, a member of the Maine chapter of a socialist group that led the rally.
“The energy is there,” Murphy said. “People are organized, and frankly, they’re angry even through that fear. There’s anger and they’re showing it tonight.”
People eating at restaurants along Congress Street came outside to watch the march, with many chanting in support and taking videos. One man seated at a window held up his phone, displaying a hastily made sign saying “F— ICE.” Dozens of signs had variations of that, and a jazz band played as people started gathering in Monument Square.
“I came here for the community members who couldn’t,” protestor Sophie Shaw said.
There was little visible police presence during the protest. No police were visible when people gathered in Monument Square. They appeared to help with some traffic control during the roughly hour-long march.
Friday’s protest came after more than 50 people assembled overnight at the Residence Inn in downtown Portland, where they suspected ICE agents were staying. City police said some were blowing whistles and banging drums inside the lobby, and one man was given a summons for disorderly conduct.
The Trump administration has been defiant in the face of local criticism of the surge, blaming Gov. Janet Mills for refusing to work with them and saying it remains committed to enforcing federal laws. The candidate for the Democratic nomination to face U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in 2026 has called for Congress to curtail funding to ICE. Others have gone further.
State Rep. Ambureen Rana, D-Bangor, said at the rally that ICE should be abolished, drawing large cheers from the crowd.
“Be absolutely relentless against these oppressive and violent institutions, and keep fighting,” she said.