| Carrying the courage of King |
| “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” ~MLK Jr. There couldn’t have come a better time for Mainers to be reflecting on — and gaining courage from — the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is honored today. Over the past week, our member organizations in Portland and Lewiston have been bracing for a surge in ICE activity threatening to separate families and harm bystanders who are monitoring or protesting. Many of our coalition members represent or serve people who landed in the state after fleeing violence in other countries. They have settled here, sought asylum, found work, raised children… only to be living in fear of armed, masked agents threatening to violate the constitutional rights that are supposed to protect everyone in this land regardless of race or country of origin. This edition of our monthly newsletter is dedicated to informing people about what MIRC’s doing to prepare and how you can get involved.What we know about an ICE surgeOver the past 10 days or so, news has been circulating about an anticipated surge of ICE activity in Portland and Lewiston. Here’s what we know so far: |
- As of January 19, 2026, the time and scale of this surge remains unverified. Regardless, the news has created heightened anxiety in the community, which requires we respond with preparation and vigilance, as we have in previous emergencies like Covid-19 and the Expo arrivals.
- This news is already creating widespread uncertainty, causing harm to people who are now missing work, school, doctor’s appointments, etc, and avoiding services they’re entitled to, for fear of unjust detention and deportation.
- An operation in Maine would be an extension of what’s happening in Minnesota, where the Trump administration has been targeting Somali immigrant communities in furtherance of a constructed narrative about fraud among small businesses and nonprofits.
- In the Department of Homeland Security’s press release on the Minneapolis operation it says: “The initial focus is on Minnesota’s 5,600 refugees who have not yet been given lawful permanent resident status (Green Cards).”
- The potential focus on Somali immigrants does not mean other immigrant communities in Maine won’t be targeted. And the potential focus on refugees does not mean people with other immigration statuses won’t be targeted. It also does not mean it will be contained to Lewiston and Portland.
- We are seeing a very significant increase in calls to our statewide Hotline as a result of this news, including eye-witness reports of agents knocking on doors asking for IDs and making arrests. We’ve not verified large scale raids, but we are anticipating them.
- Our ethnic-based organization members have been doing an excellent job keeping their communities informed. If you are looking to contact one of these organizations, please let us know via email.
- The data is clear: Nationwide ICE activity has not been based on public safety concerns.
Remember: The ongoing ICE surge in Minnesota that left bystander and ally Renee Good dead was underway for weeks before it made national news headlines earlier this month. We can’t wait till the world is watching. We need to take care of each other right now.
Important upcoming trainings
| We have trained hundreds already, and we continue training more on a rolling basis. Join us ⬇️ Hotline Verifier Trainings: Register here for 1/18/26, 4-6pm. Register here for 2/3/26. Hotline Operator Trainings: Register here for either 1/21, 2/23, 5:30-7pm. Prevention. Action. Change. and the Southern Maine Workers Center are running two 4th amendment workplace trainings ⬇️ Hospitality Workplace Preparedness Training 1/19/26, 5-6pm. Register here. |
| 4th Amendment Workplace Workshop: Register here, 1/22/26, 3:30-4:30pm. When unconstitutional arrests are happening more and more, knowing your rights can prevent detentions from happening. Call on our AG to take action Maine’s Attorney General office has a unique position to weigh in on the plans to escalate ICE enforcement activity. Specifically, our AG can join the states who have AG’s filing lawsuits against the nationwide ICE surge. The Tenth Amendment gives the State of Maine and its cities, “inviolable sovereign authority” to protect the health and wellbeing of all those who reside, work, or visit within their borders. Tell the AG and our state legislators: Please don’t wait! Challenge the federal administration’s ICE activity in court now. |
| January 20: Walkout for Our Freedoms The Women’s March and dozens of other national and local groups are calling for a day or protest this Tuesday. From their website: “One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: ICE raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, families torn apart, attacks on our trans siblings, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent. It is time for our communities to escalate as well. On January 20 at 2 PM local time, we will walk out of work, school, and commerce. We will withhold our labor, our participation, and our consent. A free America begins the moment we refuse to cooperate…” Learn more here. |
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| Help get food to families in need Food pantry support is an immediate and urgent need for families who are staying in their homes to protect their families from ICE. Our friends at the Gather to Grow food pantry team already distributes an average of 12,000 lbs of food each week to nearly 500 households! Volunteers help unload, sort, and shelve food and support food distribution. Please sign up to volunteer with them as part of increasing capacity to serve this new need. An updated sign-up form will be shared soon.  To whistle or not to whistle? We’ve been hearing much talk about whistles as community alerts across the country. Here at MIRC our Hotline verifiers are trained not to use them or be near others using them to avoid a perception of interference or escalation. Thank you so much to all who have stood by our side in this latest challenge,  |
| Mufalo Chitam MIRC Executive Director P.S. If you are able to make a donation to sustain our work in this critical time, we welcome it and thank you immensely. |