Anti-ICE law set to take effect in Maine as governor faces increased criticism for allowing it amid Senate run
Maine Gov Janet Mills is running in the Democratic primary for US Senate
By Andrew Mark Miller Fox News
Published January 26, 2026 12:38pm EST | Updated January 26, 2026 1:11pm EST
As anti-ICE protests continue to erupt across the country, a new Maine law restricting cooperation between state law enforcement and federal immigration authorities is set to take effect after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills declined to veto or delay the measure, drawing renewed criticism over her progressive record as she runs for Senate.
The law, passed by Maine’s Democrat-controlled legislature late last year, will soon take effect after the current legislative session ends and bars state and local law enforcement from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a wide range of civil immigration matters.
Even though the law has not officially taken effect, Mills, who declined to veto or sign the law, which will take effect without her signature, has already ordered Maine State Police to begin enforcing its provisions, according to a report from the Portland Press Herald.
The legislation passed the Maine legislature by just one vote last year.
Mills, who is running for Senate in the Democratic primary to unseat moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins, has recently called ICE "secret police" and said their "reckless actions" have "no place here."
As ICE ramps up activity in Maine, including over 50 arrests in one day last week, Republicans in the state have pushed back against the ICE rhetoric coming from Mills.
"Let me be very clear: ICE agents are federal law enforcement officers," Assistant House Republican Leader Katrina Smith said last week. "They take an oath. They operate under federal authority. And they show up to work knowing that rhetoric alone can make them a target. You can oppose immigration policy without turning the people enforcing the law into enemies."
Mills released a statement on Saturday, shortly after federal immigration agents shot and killed an armed man in Minneapolis, demanding a meeting with President Trump and for him to remove ICE from Maine.
The immigration law is the latest in a series of high-profile decisions that critics say underscore Mills’ liberal record as Maine prepares for her State of the State address later this month.
Since taking office, Mills has expanded eligibility for MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program, to include non-citizens regardless of immigration status. The policy allows taxpayer-funded health care for non-citizen children and pregnant individuals, a move Republicans say has driven up costs for working Mainers. State records show Maine has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on health care for individual illegal immigrants in recent years.
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