ICE’s bizarrely named ‘Catch of the Day’ operation sends Maine communities into chaos as residents are too terrified to leave their homes

The Department of Homeland Security has officially launched a new immigration enforcement effort in Maine, an operation bizarrely dubbed “Catch of the Day,” as per NBC News. This sudden surge in activity is sending waves of fear and uncertainty through local communities, particularly in cities like Portland and Lewiston.

The heightened presence of federal immigration officers was immediately noticed by residents, prompting a flood of calls to community hotlines and videos posted on social media. Ruben Torres, the advocacy and policy manager for the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, confirmed that their hotline received significantly more calls than usual, indicating just how stressed people are right now.

This widespread anxiety is having tangible effects on daily life. Torres noted that people are now too afraid to go out in public, unsure if they might be “picked up” while running errands. Because of this fear, residents are stepping up to help, leading to a rise in volunteers who are doing grocery runs and driving children whose parents are immigrants to and from school.

Honestly, naming a sensitive enforcement action “Catch of the Day” just sounds incredibly tone-deaf

The situation is also forcing families to confront incredibly difficult subjects. Torres explained that many families with relatives who hold different types of immigration status are having serious, difficult conversations about who would care for their children if the parents were detained. “It really is a very stressful moment in time,” Torres said. He added, “Those aren’t fun conversations to be having, especially with one’s children. They’re laying down the emergency planning at home.”

Meanwhile, DHS officials are defending the operation’s scope. Deputy Director Patricia Hyde of Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that the agency plans on targeting approximately 1,400 individuals across the state. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement, saying the agency is focused on “targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities.”

McLaughlin confirmed that the first day of the Maine operation resulted in the arrest of “illegal aliens convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child,” though she didn’t release the total number of arrests. This sounds more ironic, as just recently, ICE snatched a five-year-old boy after school in Minnesota.

Despite the widespread reports of enforcement activity, the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition was only able to verify two specific incidents so far, primarily because they didn’t have enough volunteers available to verify every report coming through the hotline. Torres said the two verified incidents appeared to be “very targeted.” One involved officers serving a warrant to an individual at a private home, while the other was the arrest of a single person outside a Home Depot.

The panic caused by these sightings extended even to local schools. Reports of immigration enforcement activity around Portland led to a brief lockout at two area high schools. The schools didn’t allow anyone to enter the buildings, though the lockouts were lifted shortly after it was determined that the federal activity did not directly affect the schools themselves.