The aggressive tactics of federal immigration enforcement agents in Maine over the past week are creating a situation that is “not sustainable for many businesses,” three of the state’s largest chambers of commerce said in a letter to Maine’s congressional delegation on Wednesday.
In the joint letter, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce urged U.S. Sens Susan Collins and Angus King, along with U.S. Reps Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden to pursue congressional oversight of the federal enforcement actions, “limiting aggressive tactics to individuals who have been engaged in violent criminal activity,” while working to “reform our nation’s immigration laws.”
Businesses in downtown areas and major retailers are increasingly reporting that authorized workers are staying home because of reports that ICE is targeting “not only individuals with extensive criminal records, but also individuals who believe they are legally authorized to work and reside in the United States,” the chambers said.
“As you know, Maine’s labor market is among the tightest in the country. Businesses across nearly every sector — from essential services to restaurants — are already triaging operations simply to remain open,” the chambers said.
The surge of immigration enforcement in Maine, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day,” started early last week and has been primarily focused on Greater Portland, and to a lesser extent Lewiston-Auburn.
DHS, which oversees the country’s primary immigration enforcement agencies, has claimed the Maine operation has targeted criminals and netted more than 200 people. But media reports show that federal agents have swept up immigrants without criminal records, who held work permits, and were in the process of seeking a path to legal status or citizenship.
Maine’s congressional delegation has been divided on funding ICE. A funding bill passed the U.S. House last week and is now before the Senate. It needs 60 votes to pass, which means seven Democrats would need to vote yes.
On Thursday, Pingree joined the large majority of her fellow Democrats in opposing a bill to provide $64 billion to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement. Golden was one of seven Democrats to vote for the bill and said blocking it would have affected funding for the Coast Guard, FEMA and other public safety agencies.
Collins, a Republican, has said she doesn’t “see the justification for the operation in Maine” and has asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to pause the enforcement operations in Maine and Minnesota. But she has signaled that she will support the DHS bill, noting that 80% of the funding in it is unrelated to immigration.
King, an Independent, has said he plans to vote against the DHS funding bill but hopes to avoid a government shutdown.