ICE and DHS launched 'Operation Catch of the Day,' a Maine immigration surge aimed at the state's Somali community

On January 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched "Operation Catch of the Day," an immigration-enforcement surge explicitly aimed at Maine's Somali immigrant community — centered on Lewiston, settled by Somali refugees since the early 2000s, and reaching Portland and other southern Maine communities. DHS said the operation targeted "the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens who have terrorized communities" but did not disclose how many agents were deployed, which areas would be targeted, or how long the operation would run. ICE Deputy Assistant Director Patricia Hyde told Fox News that close to 50 people had been detained in the operation's first days and that ICE had compiled a target list of 1,400 individuals in Maine; DHS provided criminal histories for only 4 of those roughly 50 arrestees. Agents shown making arrests in television footage were masked with their faces blurred, while the faces of those being apprehended were not.

The operation followed a similar large-scale ICE surge already underway in Minneapolis-St. Paul's Somali community (Operation Metro Surge), and DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin accused Maine Gov. Janet Mills and local officials of enforcing "sanctuary" policies. Mills said before the operation began that she did not want federal agents using the aggressive tactics seen elsewhere, warning in a video address that "those tactics are not welcome here." Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline called the deployment "Fascism... at the door," posting a photo of a masked agent outside a friend's car. Portland Mayor Mark Dion said there was "no evidence of unchecked criminal activity" in the community that would justify the deployment, adding that Portland police do not cooperate with ICE and do not participate in enforcing federal immigration law.

Updates

2026-01-29 — Operation ended after roughly nine days, per Sen. Collins [3]

Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told her ICE had ended its "enhanced activities" in Maine and that no further large-scale operations were currently planned. By that point ICE had reported roughly 190 to 206 arrests during the operation's intensive window.

2026-03-30 — Federal data showed only 11 of nearly 200 arrestees had a criminal record [4]

Data obtained from ICE by the Deportation Data Project, analyzed and reported by the Bangor Daily News, showed only 11 of the nearly 200 people detained in Maine during the operation were recorded as having a criminal conviction; roughly 80% of those arrested were held on immigration violations alone, with no other charge. The dataset undercut DHS's original framing that the operation targeted the "worst of the worst" criminals. Angolan (40) and Ecuadorian (36) nationals made up the largest shares of those arrested, alongside members of Maine's Somali community.