Anti-ICE law set to take effect in Maine as governor faces increased criticism for allowing it amid Senate run

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.

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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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MaineWire reported last month on a photo from a Maine city bus advertising how MaineCare is now being offered to "pregnant people and children under 21, with or without proof of citizenship" which prompted criticism of Mills from the National Republican Senatorial Committee. 

Mills has also repeatedly clashed with Trump, most notably over transgender policies. Last year, she publicly confronted the president over federal funding threats tied to allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports, vowing to sue the administration if funding was withheld.

Her administration has signed and defended a slate of laws expanding access to gender-affirming care, including protections for minors to receive certain treatments even if parents object, mandates requiring insurance coverage for such care, and measures shielding providers from out-of-state legal action.

On abortion, Mills has signed legislation expanding who can perform abortions, removed criminal penalties tied to reproductive care, and strengthened protections for providers and patients traveling to Maine from other states.

Ultimately, the NRSC told Fox News Digital it believes Mills is more focused on a "progressive agenda" than she is on results for the state. 

"Janet Mills has spent her time as Governor expanding transgender rights, offering taxpayer-funded healthcare to illegal aliens, and combating the Trump administration every chance she gets," NRSC Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell told Fox News Digital. 

"Mainers deserve a Senator who is focused on delivering real results, not Janet Mills who is more concerned with pushing her progressive agenda on Maine."

Fox News Digital reached out to Mills’ campaign for comment.