How a series of ICE rumors put Maine on edge

 Portland students march from Monument Square to City Hall in a student-organized protest ICE on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Students from all three of Portland’s public high schools and from Waynflete walked out of their schools and gathered downtown to protest. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer) We started hearing whispers about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descending on Maine last weekend. ICE agents would flood Portland and Lewiston as soon as Tuesday to conduct “forceful entry” operations, according to one tip sent to the Portland Press Herald that cited internal communications in the state Department of Health and Human Services. Our cities were potentially about to become the next [Minneapolis](https://www.startribune.com/immigrant-businesses-lose-sales-close-ice-action-twin-cities/601562613), or [Chicago](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/chicago-immigration-enforcement-raids/). The suggested raids have not yet materialized, but Democratic leaders such as Gov. Janet Mills, Portland Mayor Mark Dion and Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline [began issuing statements Wednesday](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/14/lewiston-portland-leaders-brace-for-wave-of-immigration-enforcement/) on how they were preparing for operations to begin in the near future. They urged residents to [know their rights](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/15/qa-what-are-my-right... --- *Note: This is a summarized excerpt. Click the source link above to read the full story.*