Trump administration starts immigration operation in Maine, sources say

US President Donald Trump listens during a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured) at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Jan 21, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The Trump administration has started an immigration enforcement operation in Maine, a state home to several refugee communities, including Somalis, one current immigration official and one former official said, the latest place targeted by President Donald Trump's crackdown.

More than 100 agents arrived in the frigid Northeast state this week, the two officials said. The former official said the operation would focus on refugees.

Maine's political leadership and immigrant communities have been bracing in the past week for the arrival of more immigration agents. Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, said last week that the Trump administration's aggressive enforcement tactics were "not welcome" in Maine.

Trump, a Republican, has surged immigration agents to Democratic-led cities and states since mid-2025, with some 3,000 federal agents deployed to Minnesota in recent weeks.