Sen. Susan Collins calls for pause of ICE enforcement in Maine, Minnesota

MAINE - Senator Susan Collins is calling on Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to pause federal immigration enforcement in both Maine and Minnesota.

In a statement Tuesday Collins says she has spoken with Noem and says, “I believe they should be reviewed and far more targeted in their scope. I have also called for an independent investigation, not one overseen by the Department of Homeland Security.”

A spokesperson for Collins said the senator contacted the Department of Homeland Security on Friday about ICE activities in Maine and reports of specific detentions.

They say Collins is seeking answers about the legal basis for these actions and how ICE is prioritizing its activities to target what it calls “the worst of the worst.”

They say she is also asking for an explanation of a reported policy change that would allow ICE agents to enter residences with only an administrative warrant, though her office has not yet seen reports of this occurring in Maine.

Collins maintains that people who are in the country legally and have not engaged in criminal activity should not be targets of ICE investigations.