ICE's 'catch of the day' crackdown in Maine roils Senate race
Bloomberg) -- The Democrats challenging Republican Susan Collins for her Maine Senate seat are seizing on a US immigration enforcement surge in their state to hammer the five-term incumbent even as she seeks to take credit for easing it.
Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat vying for the Senate nomination, slammed the crackdown in her first TV ad and called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to step down, despite Collins’ assurances that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would back off. Graham Platner, an oyster farmer running against Mills, said he’s skeptical of any “pinky promise” between Noem and Collins.
The criticism of ICE’s “Operation Catch of the Day,” in which federal agents detained more than 200 immigrants in some of Maine’s largest cities, is injecting a new urgency into the closely fought Senate primary, reflecting the broader national tumult. Collins is considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans up for reelection this year, with polls pointing to a nail biter in the general election no matter who wins the tight Democratic primary.
Collins said earlier this week that she asked Noem to pause ICE raids in Maine and Minnesota to pursue operations “far more targeted in their scope.” The senator then said early Thursday that she received assurances from Noem that ICE’s large-scale operations in Maine were over.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ice-s-catch-of-the-day-crackdown-in-maine-roils-senate-race/ar-AA1VlnpL
= new reply since forum marked as read
