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Jeffrey Hecker is a professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maine. The opinions expressed in this column are his and do not represent the department or the university.
This weekend saw the killing of a second U.S. citizen by immigration agents in Minnesota. Immediately following both killings, senior Trump administration officials promulgated narratives about the shootings that are grossly out of alignment with video evidence and eye witness statements. In neither case did the administration express remorse, promise a thorough investigation, or offer assurances that steps would be taken to protect against the unnecessary slaying of citizens by federal law enforcement agents in the future.
Closer to home, ICE’s “Operation Catch of the Day” resulted in the arrest of approximately 200 people in Maine, including a Cumberland County corrections recruit and a civil engineer. The corrections recruit had passed all background checks required of the position and his record was described as “squeaky clean” by Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce. The civil engineer had recently earned a masters degree from the University of Maine and was working in Portland under a work visa. In both cases, the men were forcibly removed from their vehicles which were left running at the scenes.
It is time for Republican members of Congress to take a stand against what, I think most of them know, is wrong. When they voted for the “big beautiful bill,” I don’t believe that these were the kinds of actions they thought you were supporting. I suspect that they wanted a more aggressive approach to managing the flow of illegal immigrants into our country, that they wanted to provide resources so that ICE could more effectively identify and deport illegal immigrants who engage in violence and other actions that disrupt U.S. communities. But I do not believe that they intended to create a federal agency whose members are empowered to act not only as enforcers of law, but also as judges, juries, and executioners.
The country needs brave Republican lawmakers to take action to bring this rogue arm of the federal government under control. Democrats cannot take the lead on this much-needed change of course. In the ultra-partisan environment within which you operate, Democratic calls for change will be dismissed as mere partisan bickering. Change must come from the party in power.
In 1950, Margaret Chase Smith gave her Declaration of Conscience speech on the U.S. Senate floor, denouncing the tactics of her Republican colleague Joseph McCarthy. In 1974, freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cohen called for, and voted for, impeachment of Republican President Richard Nixon.
In 2026, it is easy to underestimate the courage it took for these Mainers to speak out against misused power. In 1950, McCarthy’s wrecking ball approach to routing out communism was derailing the careers and disrupting the lives of American citizens. He was not condemned by the Senate until 1954, four years after Smith spoke out. In 1974, Bill Cohen was under tremendous pressure from the White House and GOP leadership to remain loyal. Despite the risk to his career, he spoke out.
Where are the Smiths and Cohens in today’s Republican ranks?
The country needs brave members of the Republican Party to step forward, as Smith and Cohen did, and stand against wrong. We need Congress to take action to restore the balance of power central to the vision of government articulated in the U.S. Constitution.
Demand that the Department of Homeland Security collaborate with state and city officials to conduct transparent investigations of the killings in Minnesota. Demand an accounting of the recruiting, training, and reward practices in ICE that have created an institutional culture that emboldens its officers to kill unarmed citizens. Demand a withdrawal of ICE forces from U.S. cities until such time as the organization can be retooled so that it carries out its mission without trampling the rights of citizens and immigrants.
Making demands such as these will very likely incite the ire of the president. Nonetheless, my hope is that, knowing that the actions of this administration though ICE strike at the heart of our democracy, brave Republicans will emerge from the crowd and stand for what is right.