The Maine attorney general’s office has created an email address for Mainers to report potential civil rights violations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Citing recent reports of federal immigration officers violating civil rights and using excessive force, the attorney general’s office said Monday the email tip line would be used to document violations of state and federal law, as well as the Maine Civil Rights Act.
The office requests that the public submit written descriptions of intimidation or “excessive behavior” by federal agents. Residents should provide as many details as possible, including the incident’s date, location, who was involved and their contact information if possible.
The office will not accept photographs or videos at this address, but they can be shared by contacting the office directly.
The email address will be subject to Maine’s Freedom of Access Act, the attorney general’s office said.
The move follows a surge in federal immigration enforcement across the country. Federal immigration officers arrived in Maine in mid-January and have arrested more than 200 immigrants across the state, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The number of detentions has not been independently verified.
Reports of civil rights violations have followed ICE officers to nearly every state they’ve visited. Just last week, federal agents fired paintball-like projectiles at a group of onlookers observing immigration officers in a South Portland Home Depot parking lot.
Mainers can report potential civil rights violations to: CitizenReporting.OAG@maine.gov.