Maine governor questions ‘secret arrests,’ sheriff says ICE targeted one of his recruits

By PATRICK WHITTLE, RODRIQUE NGOWI and LEAH WILLINGHAM

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s Democratic governor challenged federal immigration officials Thursday to provide arrest warrants, real-time arrest numbers and basic information about who is being detained in a sweeping enforcement operation in her state, saying residents have been left largely in the dark as fear spreads through immigrant communities.

“If they have warrants, show the warrants. In America, we don’t believe in secret arrests or secret police,” Gov. Janet Mills said at a news conference.

Mills said that President Donald Trump’s office hasn’t returned her calls regarding the operation launched this week, dubbed “Catch of the Day” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Federal officials have said about 50 arrests were made the first day and that roughly 1,400 people are operational targets in the mostly rural state of 1.4 million residents, 4% of whom are foreign-born.

The remarks came as Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce raised concerns about the arrest of one of his corrections officer recruits by immigration agents. Joyce was among more than 100 sheriffs nationwide who met last year with border czar Tom Homan.

Joyce said that the plan outlined at the time — prioritizing the removal of people with serious criminal records — was one he coul...