U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ended a recent large-scale operation in Maine, a move announced by Sen. Susan Collins after she said she spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The weeklong surge, known as “Operation Catch of the Day,” led to more than 200 arrests and triggered protests and political fallout as Democrats and Republicans position themselves ahead of the 2026 Senate race.
A large-scale immigration enforcement effort in Maine known as Operation “Catch of the Day” has ended after roughly a week on the ground, according to statements by Sen. Susan Collins and reporting from multiple outlets.
Collins, a Republican seeking reelection, said she had been in contact with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and urged the administration to reconsider its approach in Maine. In a public statement, Collins said Noem told her that ICE had ended its “enhanced” activities in the state and that there were no ongoing or planned large-scale operations.
The operation began around Jan. 21, 2026, and produced more than 200 arrests, according to news reports and statements cited by state and local officials. The enforcement push drew sharp criticism from Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who said the pullback did not erase fear and disruption in immigrant communities. Mills renewed demands for details on who was detained, the legal basis for the arrests, and where those individuals were being held.
Local leaders also condemned the operation’s impact. Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline criticized the sweep as harmful to communities and not meaningfully improving public safety, according to the Associated Press.
The political response quickly broadened into a debate over federal immigration enforcement and accountability. Progressive Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner organized protests and called for dismantling ICE, while Collins argued for immigration enforcement reforms without directly condemning the operation’s tactics.
In Augusta, the backlash helped accelerate support for legislation that would restrict access by federal immigration agents to certain sensitive locations and records. Mills publicly backed LD 2106, an emergency bill that would require a judicial warrant before federal immigration officers could enter private areas of schools, colleges, health care facilities, child care centers and public libraries, or obtain certain nonpublic records.
Federal officials have defended the arrests as targeting individuals with serious criminal histories, though reporting has also cited disputes over how broadly the operation swept and whether some detainees lacked serious criminal records. Even with the end of the “enhanced” presence, routine immigration enforcement is expected to continue.
The episode has sharpened fault lines in Maine’s emerging 2026 Senate contest, with immigration enforcement becoming a central issue for Collins, Mills and other candidates as Congress continues to fight over Department of Homeland Security funding and oversight.
