Democratic candidates in Maine came out strongly against Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s new surge in the state, bringing deportation efforts to the forefront in two of this year’s most pivotal races.

After ICE launched what it dubbed “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine on Tuesday, Democratic House candidate Matt Dunlap challenged other candidates to publicly support accountability measures for immigration agents.

“ICE is operating like a lawless force that answers only to the president,” the Maine state auditor and candidate in the Democratic primary for the state’s 2nd Congressional District said in a video posted on Thursday. “That has to stop — and they need to be held accountable.”

The video identifies how Dunlap would address ICE if he were elected to Congress: no masks or camouflage, no warrantless arrests and searches, and no arrests of American citizens.

The administration’s deportation raids have renewed a debate within Democratic circles about how to talk about immigration, including whether to abolish ICE or reform it.

Republicans have long tried to make immigration a political liability for their opponents, and competitive races like Maine’s 2nd District, where President Donald Trump won handily in 2024, could test the popularity of Trump’s immigration policies.

The district is being vacated by Rep. Jared Golden, a moderate Democrat who held onto his seat in the last election despite Trump’s win there.

The other Democratic candidates in the race also spoke out forcefully against ICE’s operation.

“This isn’t a special on a restaurant menu, this is people’s lives. Our community has been in fear of masked ICE agents raiding our streets, pulling people over without just cause, and arresting them without due process,” Maine state Sen. Joe Baldacci said Wednesday in a Facebook post. “Now, it’s become our reality. I call upon the Governor and the Attorney General to put our local and state law enforcement on alert to support Mainers who may be in need of assistance.”

Jordan Wood, who switched from Maine’s Senate race to the 2nd District congressional race, has also emphasized the issue on the campaign trail, including attending anti-ICE demonstrations.

“The unlawful and violent tactics from ICE demand action and accountability from Congress. Congress must require ICE follow the same standards expected of our local law enforcement: no masks, clear identification and visible badge numbers, and no unlawful searches or seizures,” Wood said in a statement to NOTUS. “Finally, in America, no one is above the law and I believe the actions and tactics of ICE agents under the Trump Administration must be held accountable. Congress must exercise its oversight authority and conduct independent investigations.”

The Republican frontrunner, former Gov. Paul LePage, put out a statement on Thursday in support of ICE operations in Maine.

“We all know ICE is conducting operations in Maine to take illegal aliens with heinous criminal histories into custody,” he said in the post. “Some of those arrested include criminals convicted of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child. We all know that Mainers do not feel safe in many of our cities, and I welcome the efforts to get dangerous criminals off of our streets.”

In the Senate race — which Democrats consider key to their push to take control of the upper chamber — Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins isn’t taking the same pro-ICE line.

She has been mostly quiet about ICE in Maine, but put out a statement Wednesday when the operation was announced. She said people who have come to the country legally should not be targets of ICE operations.

“I have advocated for providing body cameras and de-escalation training for ICE personnel. At this time of heightened tensions, these steps could help improve trust, accountability, and safety,” Collins said. “Our proposed funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security includes $20 million for body cameras and $2 million for de-escalation training, which could help protect both ICE agents and the general public. I hope that Congress will adopt these measures quickly.”

The leading Democratic candidates have both condemned the operation in stronger terms.

Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and veteran, has been outspoken on X about ICE and has posted resources for the Maine community.

“At this very moment ICE is dragging Mainers out of their homes, terrorizing communities across the state. They’re calling it ‘Operation Catch of the Day.’ It is disgusting,” he said in an X post. “Maine will fight. We will fight for our neighbors and for the people we love.”

He also posted asking people to donate to the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition.

Gov. Janet Mills denounced the “secret police” tactics of ICE in the state in a briefing on Thursday and has posted condemning the effort.

“I’d be shocked if they found 1,400 people with criminal charges against them. But what we’re hearing is not that anyway,” Mills said at the briefing. “What we’re hearing is that people with no criminal backgrounds are being detained and subject to, perhaps, deportation, or at least arrest. People who are being torn from their families and from young children.”

The Bangor Daily News reported Mills was on her way to San Francisco on the first day of the ICE operations in Maine.

“Her administration remains in close contact with organizations across Maine to monitor ICE activity and ensure the safety and civil rights of people across Maine are protected,” Mills campaign spokesperson Tommy Garcia told the newspaper.

This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS, a publication from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Allbritton Journalism Institute and The Maine Monitor, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization covering the state of Maine.