Post

Lex McMenamin (they/them)
@lexmcmenamin.com

just wanna re-up the part where I wrote that many immigrants in Maine have been sheltering in place since January for their own safety, with ICE still operating in the area. it is October.

Lex McMenamin (they/them)@lexmcmenamin.com

whether or not it stayed in the headlines, ICE's on-the-ground presence “shocked the whole system” (in one advocate's words), changing life for Maine communities. many immigrants have been effectively sheltering in place since Jan, relying on grocery drop-offs and volunteers to take kids to school.

theguardian.comICE got ‘quieter’ – then killed a father in Maine. Now watch groups are shifting their tactics tooICE-watchers get creative after the killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, as Trump’s immigration crackdown takes a more secretive approach

327 reposts659 likes

Jenn S.
@jenn-yyy.bsky.social

“Though ICE has shifted to less visible tactics since the start of the year, the number of immigration arrests is higher than ever, including in rural and suburban areas, such as much of Maine. ICE observers are still there, too – albeit exhausted and burned out.”

Jenn S.
@jenn-yyy.bsky.social

“In many of the US’s largest cities, immigrant rights networks count hundreds if not thousands of volunteers, and dozens of neighborhood-based encrypted chats and organizations activate on short notice.”

Jessie Losch
@jessielosch.bsky.social

My friend is an elementary school teacher in an area hit hard by ICE- she's had an average of half her class missing every day because families are so scared they'll be picked up on the way to or from school drop off.