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Paul LePage Criticizes ICE Deportations While Calling for a Criminal-First Focus
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Candidate Highlights Family Deportation and Calls for Prioritizing Criminals
Former Maine governor Paul LePage, the Republican nominee for the state’s open 2nd Congressional District, told reporters in Augusta that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is deporting his son’s father-in-law despite the man’s valid work permit.
Background & Context: ICE Operations in Maine and LePage’s Immigration Stance
LePage’s remarks came during an event where he accepted an endorsement from the Maine Fraternal Order of Police. Earlier this year, the Trump administration dispatched a surge of ICE agents to Maine under “Operation Catch of the Day,” detaining nearly 200 people in January. The operation was halted after nationwide backlash following the fatal shooting of two protesters in Minneapolis. Since the surge, Maine has seen a sharp rise in ICE arrests of individuals without criminal records.
Data & Statistics: Arrests Lacking Criminal Convictions
Public records obtained by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition show that, in the first seven months of 2026, about 69 percent of people arrested by ICE in Maine had no criminal conviction or charge. Only 12 percent of those arrests involved individuals with a criminal conviction. A Washington Post analysis of the same data noted that Maine’s share of arrests of people with no criminal record is the highest in the nation for the year.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Not everybody that's here is illegal,” — Paul LePage, the former governor
- “Not everybody that's here is illegal. I have a father, my son's wife's dad is here legally, but he's being deported because he came from a country that's not of the certain liking of some people in Washington. That’s not right. He has a work permit. He should be allowed to stay,” — Paul LePage, the former governor
- “Restricting any type of information between law enforcement only places our officers and the community at risk,” — Maine Fraternal Order, of Police
These statements illustrate LePage’s personal connection to the immigration debate, his call for a criminal-first enforcement priority, and the law-enforcement perspective that supports broader cooperation with federal immigration authorities.