PORTLAND, Maine — Roughly 1,200 people marched along Congress Street on Friday night to protest an immigration enforcement surge in Maine this week.
The protests blocked a lane of traffic from Monument Square to Longfellow Square and back, chanting against U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement. People braved the 18-degree temperatures to listen to roughly an hour of speakers and then marched without incident.
People gathered after about 100 people were detained by ICE in Maine this week. The detentions were part of the Maine immigration enforcement surge dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day. President Donald Trump’s administration has said it is aimed at the “worst of the worst” criminals, but some with work permits and no criminal records have also been arrested.
It was the largest protest so far during the four-day operation in Maine. A march was not planned, but once organizers saw the crowd size, it was necessary, said Ryan Murphy, a member of the Maine chapter of a socialist group that led the rally.
“The energy is there,” Murphy said. “People are organized, and frankly they’re angry even through that fear. There’s anger and they’re showing it tonight.”
People eating at restaurants along Congress Street came outside to watch the march, with many chanting in support and taking videos. One man seated at a window held up his phone, displaying a hastily made sign saying “F—- ICE.”
There was little visible police presence during the protest. No police were visible when people gathered in Monument Square. Portland police only appeared to help with some traffic control during the roughly hour-long march.
