Maine Attorney General - Across our nation, we are seeing numerous reports of apparent civil rights violations and improper use of force by federal agents who have been sent into areas targeted for immigration enforcement by the federal government. With the federal government now surging federal agents into Maine under the banner of immigration enforcement, evidence of constitutionally-deficient, excessive, and intimidating enforcement tactics is quickly emerging in our own state.
In order to better assess the impacts of these questionable immigration enforcement activities on Mainers, as well as evaluate what action this office may take in response, the Office of the Maine Attorney General has established a dedicated email address for Mainers to share such information with the office for potential investigation.
The email address- CitizenReporting.OAG@maine.gov - will be monitored for documentation of potential violations of the Maine and federal Constitutions, as well as Maine laws such as the Maine Civil Rights Act.
We invite the public to submit any descriptions of observed intimidating or excessive behavior used by federal agents. Information that would be helpful to provide includes: date, location of incident, names of any individuals involved as actors or witnesses, if known, and contact information. We will not be accepting photographs and videos through this email address. However, please let us know if photographs or videos are available and provide contact information so the office can arrange to obtain copies if deemed necessary.
Finally, please also be advised that this email address is not for seeking legal advice, legal representation, or for requesting feedback.
Press Herald - Three protesters hold "ICE Out" signs on the steps of the Agora Grand Event Center in Lewiston during a protest Saturday. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)
Maine’s surge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action is entering its second week against the backdrop of another fatal shooting by federal agents in Minneapolis.
Federal officials have said they have arrested more than 100 people in Maine and are only targeting criminals, but officials and community members say many of those detained by ICE are either citizens, in the country legally or have no criminal records.
Over the weekend, crowds of anti-ICE protesters gathered in Portland — first in Monument Square, then outside a hotel they believed agents were staying at — and in Lewiston, calling for ICE to leave the state. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills echoed those calls, calling ICE agents “untrained and reckless” and saying they are “stoking fear in communities.”
Press Herald - Seven passengers were killed and one crew member was seriously injured in a plane crash Sunday night at the Bangor International Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Authority. In an incident report released Monday morning, the FAA said the cause of the crash was still unknown. The aircraft came to a rest, inverted and caught fire, according to the report.
Press Herald - A major snowstorm has hit Maine, dumping up to two feet of fluffy flakes from Sunday afternoon until Monday night. The National Weather Service in Gray forecast that snowfall would begin gently around 2 p.m. on Sunday, picking up in the evening. Between 7 p.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday, snow accumulation was expected to reach two inches per hour, especially near the coast. Snow will continue to fall throughout Monday at a lighter rate. Read the full forecast.
Press Herald - Members of Maine’s congressional delegation are calling for further investigation into the shooting of a man in Minneapolis by a Border Patrol agent. This second fatal shooting in Minnesota comes as Maine is also experiencing increased U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. The debate comes as the Senate considers a proposal to fund various government agencies to avoid another government shutdown, including ICE.