Research Note Researched

Maine — 'Operation Catch of the Day' surge (200+ arrested), jails exit ICE contracts, 287(g) banned, DOJ plate lawsuit

Maine entered 2026 as a sanctuary-leaning state with no state-run immigration detention but a network of rural and regional county jails that held ICE detainees under U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) federal-boarding contracts. In January 2026 the Trump administration launched a high-profile enforcement surge — “Operation Catch of the Day” — explicitly framed as a political response to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. The surge, ICE’s retaliation against a Maine sheriff who criticized it, a new state law letting jails decline civil-immigration holds, a statutory ban on 287(g), and a May 28 DOJ lawsuit over confidential license plates together make Maine a fast-moving fight over the limits of federal enforcement in a resistant blue state.

Operation Catch of the Day (January 2026)

Jan 20-24, 2026: ICE confirmed launch of “Operation Catch of the Day,” arresting more than 200 people statewide in roughly one week.
Activity concentrated in Greater Portland (Cumberland County) — including Biddeford and South Portland (York County), Westbrook, and Lewiston (Androscoggin County).
DHS publicly claimed it targeted “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens” and named Gov. Mills as a reason for the operation — a Trump-administration spokesperson signaled the surge was a political response to the Mills-Trump feud.
Reality (per Deportation Data Project, reported Mar 30, 2026): Of nearly 200 arrested, only about a dozen had criminal convictions and just over two dozen had pending criminal charges. Most were pursuing lawful pathways (asylum, work authorization).
Immigrant-rights groups advised people to shelter in place during the surge.

Renewed surge (May 2026)

In May 2026, the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition warned that ICE sightings and arrests were increasing again in the same Greater Portland / Lewiston region hit in January, suggesting a second wave of enforcement.

County Jails Used for ICE Holds

Maine has no dedicated ICE facility; detainees were held in county/regional jails under USMS federal-boarding contracts:

Cumberland County Jail (Portland, FIPS 23005) — Maine’s largest jail and the principal ICE detention hub. Held roughly 50 detainees at peak. ICE pulled all detainees in January 2026 as retaliation after Sheriff Kevin Joyce publicly rebuked the agency; commissioners voted 3-1 on Apr 22, 2026 to remove ICE from the USMS contract. (See facility entry and county-fight cumberland-county-me-sheriff-ice-fight.)
Two Bridges Regional Jail (Wiscasset, Lincoln County, FIPS 23015) — regional jail serving Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties; averaged 20-25 ICE boarders in 2025; Administrator James Bailey said the jail accepts only people with criminal charges and does not honor administrative warrant detainers. ICE detainees were pulled in January 2026 amid the statewide pullback. (See facility entry.)
Penobscot, Aroostook, and other county jails appear in the holding/notification discussion but ICE-detention use is not separately confirmed in sourcing reviewed here — see gaps below.

State Posture and Gov. Mills

Maine has become a de-facto sanctuary state: in December 2025 Mills declined to veto a bill limiting local law-enforcement collaboration with federal immigration authorities.
During the January surge Mills said if the federal government has warrants it should show them, but condemned separating “working mothers from young children” who “committed no crime” as “sowing intimidation and fear.” She later denounced ICE “secret police” tactics.
Apr 13, 2026: Mills signed legislation clarifying that Maine county jails have authority to refuse to hold persons detained solely for civil immigration violations, settling the legal question at the heart of the Cumberland contract dispute.

287(g) Banned

In January 2026 Maine enacted a law barring state and local agencies from entering 287(g) agreements (takes effect later in 2026), joining a small set of states with statutory bans.
The only prior Maine 287(g) participant, the Wells Police Department (York County), had already canceled its agreement in fall 2025 after public opposition. ICE lists no active 287(g) agreements in Maine.

DOJ Confidential License Plate Lawsuit (May 28, 2026)

The U.S. DOJ filed suit against Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington in U.S. District Court (Maine), announced May 28, 2026, over the states’ refusal to issue confidential/undercover license plates to ICE/CBP and other DHS components.
Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows paused confidential plates for federal agencies in January 2026 after the enforcement ramp-up, then adopted a policy requiring federal applicants to certify the plates would not be used for civil immigration enforcement.
Acting AG Todd Blanche: the states are “pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies” by denying plates to DHS while issuing them to their own agencies; DOJ alleges “unconstitutional restrictions that impede law enforcement.”
Bellows: “There are no secret police in a democracy and we will always stand up for our Mainers’ safety and freedom.” (See county-fight maine-doj-confidential-plate-lawsuit-2026.)

ICE Defiance of Court Orders

Multiple Maine judges admonished ICE during/after the January surge for falsehoods and willful defiance of court orders (U.S. District Judge John Woodcock Jr.; District Court Judge Stacey Neumann) — including releasing-then-removing detainees out of jurisdiction. (Detailed in the Cumberland county-fight entry.)

Gaps / To Confirm

Whether Aroostook County (FIPS 23003, heat 25) and Penobscot County (FIPS 23019, heat 20) jails held ICE detainees under USMS/IGSA contracts — heat signals exist but ICE-detention use is unconfirmed in sourcing reviewed.
Washington (23029) and Piscataquis (23021) rural heat signals are unexplained; likely reflect underlying jail/contract infrastructure rather than confirmed ICE use.
Total Maine ICE bed inventory after the January pullbacks, and where Maine detainees are now held (out-of-state transfers reported but destinations not confirmed here).

Sources

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