As ICE Begins Crackdown in Maine, Where Might the Next Target Be?

The Department of Homeland Security announced “Operation Catch of the Day” on Wednesday, with federal immigration agents arriving in Maine to find and arrest criminal illegal aliens.

The agency noted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already arrested criminal illegal aliens convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and aggravated assault.  

“We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.  

DHS has launched similar “named” operations in cities and states across the U.S., including Operation Patriot in Massachusetts, Operation Catahoula Crunch in New Orleans, Operation Buckeye in Ohio, Operation Charlotte’s Web in Charlotte, North Carolina, Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, and Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities. 

“The reality is that ICE is active nationwide, but it typically draws media attention only during large-scale operations,” Marguerite Telford, director of communications at the Center for Immigration Studies, says.  

The Department of Homeland Security does not publicize future locations of where it plans to launch a large-scale operation, but there are a number of communities across the U.S. with high populations of illegal aliens that have yet to large immigration enforcement operations.  

Boston 

Telford gave a “reasonable guess that DHS may launch a large operation in Boston, “where both the governor and mayor have publicly opposed ICE enforcement efforts.”  

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, has accused ICE of “cruel and callous behavior.”  

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, also a Democrat, said ICE operations “are destabilizing communities, creating intimidation, fear.” 

Boston is a sanctuary city, and the state has policies that limit local and state law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials.  

“If local officials want to avoid enforcement surges in their cities, they should allow ICE access to local jails so officers can safely take custody of criminal aliens without risking public safety,” Telford says.  

New York State

While immigration agents have conducted operations in New York City, Simon Hankinson, a senior research fellow for the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, says large operations outside the city might carry strategic value.  

In communities in Upstate New York “without large leftie concentrations,” local law enforcement have a higher likelihood of working with federal immigration officials to find and detain illegal aliens, Hankinson explains.  

Hartford, Connecticut  

There are 64,000 “noncitizens” living in Hartford and 265,400 across Connecticut, according to the research and advocacy group Vera Institute of Justice.  

In August, ICE conducted a four-day operation in Connecticut, resulting in the apprehension of 65 illegal aliens, according to DHS.  

Connecticut is a “sanctuary” state, according to the Department of Justice.  

New Jersey 

In early 2024, busloads of illegal aliens were dropped off in New Jersey, which maintains a large migrant population, according to the Immigration Policy Institute.  

New Jersey’s “unauthorized population” is estimated around 476,000, the policy group reports.  

While New Jersey is not a sanctuary state, Newark and Jersey City, the state’s two largest cities, are sanctuary cities, according to the Justice Department.  

Seattle  

As of 2023, about 375,000 illegal aliens lived in Washington state, making up about 5% of the state’s population, according to Axios.  

Seattle is the largest city in Washington, and an ICE field office already exists in the city, but DHS has not reported significant enforcement operations in the West Coast community.  

Seattle is a “sanctuary city,” according to the DOJ.