OPINION | Speaker Fecteau: ICE activities in Maine do not match our state’s values

By RYAN FECTEAU, Special to the Gazette

A new legislative session is now underway, and there are many pressing matters in front of us that impact Biddeford residents and Mainers from all over. Whether addressing Maine’s housing crisis to overcoming federal funding cuts to important programs like SNAP and healthcare, we have a lot of work to do to make sure Maine families can get ahead and stay ahead.

While our legislative work progresses with the normal cadence of public hearings, work sessions, and floor votes, what has been happening outside the State House, and in our own community here in Biddeford, is anything but normal.

I was dismayed by the surge of ICE agents in our state under the grotesque title of ‘Operation Catch of the Day’. These agents were shirking good policing standards in favor of warrantless, indiscriminate, and quota-driven detentions. I know their actions sowed fear in our community, especially for people of color. It was painful to hear from friends, including those who are lifelong U.S. citizens, who feared they could be profiled and detained based entirely on the color of their skin. So many are now carrying their “papers” (e.g., a birth certificate or passport). Is this America?

Moreover, the surge of ICE agents and their actions were completely inconsistent with President Trump’s campaign promise to “go after criminals”. The headlines told the true story: whether restaurant workers at Kobe in Biddeford, or corrections officers at Cumberland and York Counties, or a civil engineer with a work visa, this “immigration crackdown” appears less focused on criminals and more about inciting fear and terror among people who came here to chase the promise of America: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I was horrified at the news of a single mom snatched by agents after dropping her daughter off at Biddeford Primary school, and the arrest of Marcos Gaspar Da Silva, who worked on a home renovation project for me. He’s highly rated on the handyman app Thumbtack, because, as I learned, he is hardworking and diligent.

While politicians in DC may say that the “surge” or “enhanced operations” have ended, the devastation left in the wake of ICE’s actions is far from over. ICE agents are still operating in Maine. Families are still seeking information on loved ones who continue to be detained. Lawyers are still trying to connect with their clients as those clients are shuffled among detention centers outside Maine and across the country. Our neighbors are still fearful of going outside, of simply being seen in our community, because they worry they could be next.

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“What has been happening outside the State House,

and in our own community here in Biddeford,

is anything but normal.”

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If what’s happening in Maine wasn’t enough, a nurse who worked at the VA hospital in Minneapolis was killed by an ICE agent just a few weeks ago, at least the fourth shooting fatality linked to immigration enforcement since Trump returned to the Oval Office. The Trump Administration hurriedly made public comments that suggested Alex Pretti was going to carry out a mass shooting against ICE. Of course, this assertion unravels when you see with your own eyes the video of Alex with his hands down on the pavement, surrounded by six or more ICE agents, being shot. Alex is shot just moments after a different agent removes Alex’s gun from a holster. Alex was exercising his Second Amendment rights and had a permit to carry. It didn’t matter. He was killed.

These operations across our country are not making us safer. What we are seeing is inconsistent with safety. There is a reason why we are a nation of laws. There is a reason why warrants are required to conduct searches and arrests. These things demand precision and liability. The rogue, indiscriminate, inhumane, and brutish nature of these ICE operations means innocent and lawful people are being wrongfully detained. It means this agency’s credibility is now nonexistent.

In the legislature, we’ve taken action to protect the rights of Mainers. This fall, LD 1971 became law, ensuring that workers are not detained, investigated, arrested, or searched by state, county, and local law enforcement officers solely for immigration enforcement purposes. And this session, LD 2106 proposes to require a valid, judge-signed warrant for immigration enforcement in sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, daycares, and libraries.

These are uncertain and perilous times. I’ll be honest, it can feel hopeless to see such federal abuses of power and have little oversight. However, I am proud of the ways in which Mainers across our state are standing up for their neighbors, and making it crystal clear that ICE is not welcome to bring their reckless tactics here to foment fear and chaos. These are the moments where we show the best of who we are. These are the moments where we conquer hate with love, fear with hope, and stand strong against a tide that seeks to weaken the pillars of our constitutional republic. These are the moments that define us.

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Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford is currently serving as Speaker of the House in the Maine House of Representatives.

Mr. Fecteau represents District 132 in the House of Representatives.  He may be contacted at ryan.fecteau@legislature.maine.gov

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