Augusta, Maine – Today, Senator Susan Collins attempted to take credit for ICE reportedly ending enhanced operations in Maine, after she spent weeks enabling the administration and pushing for more funding for the Department of Homeland Security without any reforms.
Maine Democratic Party spokesperson Kristi Johnston released the following statement:
“Make no mistake – this is just another calculated political move from Susan Collins. Collins is trying to save face on the same day the Senate is set to vote on a DHS funding bill she has been leading the charge to pass without a single reform or guardrail to ICE’s reckless, dangerous behavior. Mainers see straight through this, and they won’t forget it.”
Susan Collins is advancing ICE funding without reforms or guardrails while downplaying its impact.
- News Center Maine: “Amid the controversy, Collins is staying course to steer the $64 billion DHS bill – and five remaining annual appropriations bills – through the Senate by a Jan. 30 deadline.”
Collins is also actively pushing a DHS funding bill while downplaying its impact. Just yesterday, Collins claimed “less than 20%” of the package’s funding goes to ICE. The truth is, federal immigration enforcement could receive up to 43% of the bill’s funding without any additional reforms or accountability, according to analysis from News Center Maine.
This week, Susan Collins lied about previously opposing ICE funding.
- After weeks of refusing to hold the Trump administration accountable as ICE spreads fear in Maine communities, Susan Collins falsely claimed she opposed funding for ICE. In reality, Collins was a “key” “pivotal vote” to advancing the OBBB bill.
- “The funding that is supporting the current ICE operations, and to which the protestors in Portland were objecting, mostly comes from the Big, Beautiful Bill, which I voted against,” she said.
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