British News Agency

According to a report by The New York Times, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is targeting Somali immigrants living in the northeastern state as part of this operation.

The initiative officially began on Tuesday. In statements to The Guardian, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, claimed that those arrested include “criminal illegal immigrants convicted of horrific crimes such as aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and child endangerment.” However, it provided criminal records for only four of the approximately 50 people it said were detained, offering no details about the backgrounds of the others.

The large Somali American community in Minnesota has been a particularly frequent and repeated target for Donald Trump.

Many asylum seekers from various African countries who entered the United States chose Maine as their home, contributing to the Somali community that began to take shape there when refugees were resettled in Lewiston in the early 2000s. Maine remains largely white and has one of the oldest populations in the country.

Meanwhile, many businesses are increasingly turning to immigrant labor to fill workforce shortages caused by local workers retiring or leaving the labor force.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maine signaled the upcoming operation in a statement released on Monday, calling on the public to protest peacefully.

On Tuesday, Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said in a statement that ICE agents had increased their presence in the state’s second-largest city. He urged calm and encouraged residents to “look out for one another.”

Last week, the Trump administration announced it would end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis living in the United States, telling hundreds of people they must leave the country within two months or face the risk of deportation.