Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said on Thursday that the Trump administration agreed to end a sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation that recently began in Maine.
The Department of Homeland Security surged ICE’s presence in the state last week as part of Operation Catch of the Day. The move sparked opposition from Collins, who said further review of the agency’s tactics is needed before conducting missions after two U.S. citizens were killed during ICE-related Minnesota operations.
This week, Collins said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had heeded her concerns, asserting that “there are currently no ongoing or planned large-scale ICE operations” in Maine. The lawmaker thanked Noem for her “willingness to listen to and consider my recommendations.”
“While the Department of Homeland Security does not confirm law enforcement operations, I can report that Secretary Noem has informed me that ICE has ended its enhanced activities in the State of Maine,” Collins wrote in a statement to X. “ICE and Customs and Border Patrol will continue their normal operations that have been ongoing here for many years. I will continue to work with the Secretary on efforts to end illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other transnational criminal activity.”
The development appears to mark an unusual move by Noem to de-escalate tensions. The secretary has ferociously stood by ICE operations after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota, pushing back against bipartisan concerns about the government’s use of force in the killings.
Noem’s more docile approach in Maine comes as she faces growing calls to resign or be fired. And it follows President Donald Trump’s increasing efforts to soften messaging on ICE, sidelining a top adviser who claimed Pretti was an attempted “assassin,” and reportedly engaging in talks with Democratic Senate leaders on reforming the agency.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the DHS for comment on Collins’s assertion that ICE ended its surge in Maine. If confirmed, Collins could seek to leverage the development to bolster her reelection campaign.
The Maine seat lies in a politically purple area and is considered one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.