U.S. Attorney Andrew Benson issued a statement on Monday warning Maine protesters not to interfere with federal law enforcement actions.
The statement comes ahead of a rumored deployment of agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Portland and Lewiston this week, which Benson appeared to affirm by referring to protests “in the coming days.”
Benson stated that law enforcement officers take an oath to “fulfill their duty to enforce federal law, including the laws relating to illegal immigration,” and that The Constitution “guarantees the right to peacefully assemble and to protest.”
“What is not protected, however, are acts of violence against other individuals, destruction of property, or obstruction of lawful governmental activity,” Benson said.
ICE deployments by the Trump administration to other major U.S. cities in Democrat-controlled states have drawn protests fueled by videos circulating online of masked federal agents violently detaining people, including American citizens and peaceful protesters. The recent shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by ICE agent Jonathan Ross further escalated the tension around ICE actions.
“In the coming days, if Maine citizens seek to exercise their rights to assemble and protest, it is vital that these protests remain peaceful,” Benson said. “Anyone who forcibly assaults or impedes a federal law enforcement officer, willfully destroys government property, or unlawfully obstructs federal law enforcement activity commits a federal crime and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Benson also said it is “incumbent upon anyone with a public voice” to urge protesters to remain peaceful. “Divisive, bombastic public statements only inflame the situation and make violence more likely,” he said.
“Force, intimidation and threats have no place in our public discourse and are contrary to our time-honored tradition in Maine of peaceful civic engagement,” Benson said.