ICE Out of Maine

Maine communities are stronger and safer without ICE. See how you can get involved to make sure state and local officials follow Maine's ICE Out laws to keep rogue agencts out of the places that make our communities safe, strong, and healthy.

In January 2026, the Trump administration launched “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine. Federal officials claimed they would target only the “worst of the worst” and help keep communities safe. Instead, communities across the state watched as roughly 200 of their neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family members were detained.

In response to the Trump administration’s lawless campaign, Maine lawmakers passed three ICE Out of Maine Laws: ICE Out of Policing, ICE Out of Our Homes, and ICE Out of Schools and State Healthcare. They took effect on July 29, 2026.

These laws protect our communities and ensure that local officials, agencies, and resources are not used to support reckless and chaotic federal immigration enforcement operations.

Enforcing Maine's ICE Out Laws

As a first step, we wrote to hundreds of entities responsible for enforcing the ICE Out laws:

• 14 housing authorities and landlord associations
• 16 sheriff's departments
• 107 police departments
• State agencies and offices, ranging from the Department of Corrections and the Office of Judicial Marshals, to the Department of Marine Resources and the Maine Criminal Justice Academy
• Public schools, the Department of Education, the Maine Education Association, public colleges and universities, state libraries, and state healthcare facilities

The letters outline how each entity is responsible for following the law. We hope these informational letters will serve as a useful resource for public officials throughout Maine.

Additionally, we used extensive public records investigations to understand how Maine officials were cooperating with ICE before these laws took effect. As we move forward, we will continue our public records work to ensure public institutions update their policies and practices to comply with the law.

We’ll update this page as we track compliance. In the meantime, you can see the ways Maine law enforcement has collaborated with immigration agents documented in our public records investigations.

Holding Federal Agents Accountable

We filed five administrative claims against the federal government on behalf of people who suffered abuse at the hands of rogue federal immigration agents. The filings are part of a coordinated nationwide effort by the ACLU involving 54 claims across 17 states and Washington, D.C.

The claims were filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), one of the few legal tools available to seek financial compensation for wrongdoing by federal government employees. Through this coordinated effort, ACLU affiliates are representing dozens of people and families who are seeking justice for the harm they experienced at the hands of federal immigration agents.

We're also suing federal agents under the Maine Civil Rights Act for violating a Portland man's civil rights. Read more about this case here.