‘ICE are disappearing people from our streets – I look after families in hiding’

Until a couple of weeks ago, Faith* was your average suburban mum, shuttling her kids around from soccer practice to friends houses, while juggling a job and looking after her home.

But then the presence of ICE agents began to increase on the streets where she lived in Portland, Maine, dressed head-to-foot in military-style clothing, with their faces covered and guns in hand. 

‘Maine has an incredibly low crime rate,’ Faith tells Metro.

‘All because of the presence of ICE – an untrained, overly armed militia who are disappearing people from our streets.’

As a white, American woman, Faith is all too aware she isn’t their target – but she knows plenty of people who are. In response, a close knit buddy system has been quickly set up by an ‘angry group of moms’ who saw a need and how best to serve it. 

‘I’ve been buddied up with three families who aren’t leaving their homes,’ says Faith, who is going by a pseudonym for fear of being followed. ‘I check in with them every morning to see what they need. We took their laundry because they didn’t have a washer or dryer.’

When she drops off groceries, or collects laundry, Faith brings her two children, aged eight and five along, just so that the families inside don’t get anxious that it’s ICE at the door. 

If families need financial support for heating, ‘because it’s really cold right now,’ or rent, Faith connects them to outside agencies she knows and trusts. 

‘We don’t really talk about how they are feeling, just help with the practical things,’ she explains. 

On 21 January, Homeland Security announced it had launched ‘Operation Catch of the Day’ in the ocean fishing state, that would target ‘the Worst of Worst Criminal Illegal Aliens Across Maine.’

Since last week there has been more than 200 arrests following the enforcement surge, which, according to the New York Times, is believed to be focused on the area’s Somali community.

As well as being ‘matched,’ Faith has also run micro-fundraisers to give people an opportunity to provide for the three families she is helping, and the wider area.

‘I’ve also called our local food pantry and asked what they are missing,’ she says. ‘I send the list out to my larger group of friends, and we brought in $2500 worth of groceries and supplies to the food pantry to give out to people who aren’t able to get food right now.’

Faith recently visited an immigrant friend and business owner, and when she did there were a number of ICE trucks around. 

‘I stayed with her until they were gone,’ Faith says, adding that the narrative that migrants are ‘sucking our country dry’ is ridiculous. 

‘These are people who have registered their cars, have employment, and are doing everything right,’ she says. ‘But ultimately, it doesn’t matter. The states Trump is targeting are those that have governors that stood up to him.’

Although she isn’t scared for her or her family’s immediate safety because of her ‘privilege’, Faith has a ‘deep level of anxiety at all times’ for those in her community who are being targeted. 

‘There are a lot of Somali and Central American immigrants in Maine,’ she says. ‘They’re an integral, vital part of our economy and communities.’

With horrific stories hitting the headlines, such as the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti as he tried to protect a woman from ICE agents, and the shocking detainment of five-year-old schoolboy Liam Conejo Ramos, it’s no surprise that Faith’s two children have heard about what has happened in Minneapolis.

She and her husband have tried to explain things at an age appropriate level, but her kids are still frightened. All Faith can do is say repeatedly that she’ll keep them safe – that it’s their job as parents to keep them safe. 

‘But it’s also our responsibility to take care of our neighbors and community – to find tangible ways to help others,’ she says. ‘No one told me that the main way I would fight fascism is grocery shopping. But that’s what we’re doing.’ 

Friends abroad have also been asking Faith daily why she stays in America. 

‘Are we the frog that stays in the boiling water, not knowing how hot it has gotten?’ she asks. ‘My husband and I have these check-ins to see if we are able to keep our family safe here. We still feel there’s more good to do here, and people we can help. We have hope, because we’ve seen the way our communities have resisted this. I don’t think all is lost, but I think it will get darker before it gets better.’

In downtown Portland, Andrew Volk’s commute to his restaurant and cocktail bar has always been effortless – until ICE agents recently appeared on the streets  ‘waiting and looking for people to pick up.’

‘We’re not yet seeing quite the public shell force you see in places like Minneapolis, but there are a lot of people staying home and sheltering because they are scared of getting targeted, harassed, and kidnapped,’ the 42-year-old tells Metro.

With the arrival of ICE Andrew’s staff of ten started to worry how they should respond if agents knocked the door of the restaurant. 

‘I held a staff meeting last Thursday,’ he says. ‘We trained the staff on what to do if a federal agency officer comes to the door. We talked about if that happened, they weren’t entitled to go into private or locked areas of the business without a judicial warrant. While you can’t impede an officer, you are allowed to not answer their questions, and you can record them.’ 

Informing his staff on their rights was the main way Andrew felt he could support them through an ‘unknown time,’ and make sure they knew he was ‘in this together’ with them.

‘People are scared,’ he says. ‘Scared of the unknown.’

ICE hasn’t come to his restaurant in North East America yet, but Andrew has done what he can to prepare those he is leading just in case that changes. 

‘I do fear for mine and my staff’s safety in regard to ice agents and their apparent inability to follow rules,’ he admits. ‘The training that we have worked with and discussed very clearly with the team is that we are not going to physically confront agents.’

He says that those with black and brown skin are particularly frightened of being kidnapped by ICE. 

‘We have a fairly strong Somalia population in the state that has been here for over 20 years,’ he explains. ‘They are integrated into our communities, and they’re now being targeted by federal agencies.’

He recounts people he knows who have been taken by ICE, and he’s ‘not sure where they are.’

‘We have no clue,’ he says. ‘This [ICE] isn’t making us safe. It seems like it’s intended to intimidate and scare. It feels like a federal agency is bullying its citizens. These tactics we’re seeing aren’t welcoming or friendly or respectful.’

In the restaurant business, he’s heard from several owners who have had to close their doors because there aren’t enough staff for rotas, dampening business in the local area. 

‘They can’t cover shifts because employees are scared to leave their homes,’ he says. ‘These are people legally allowed to be here. They don’t have criminal records. They’re contributing members of our community. And they’re scared to go work.’

Andrew’s children have told him that dozens of kids from their school have been absent because their parents are afraid that either themselves or their kids will be ‘kidnapped.’

‘It’s not unfounded fear,’ adds Andrew. ‘It’s not paranoia. It’s actually happening.’

Yesterday it was announced by Maine Senator, Susan Collins, that immigration officials have ceased their ‘enhanced operations’ in the state.

However, Andrew remains unconvinced. ‘My initial response is that I’ll believe it when I see it. It feels like a mealy-mouthed non-response to an increasingly difficult situation.’

*Name has been changed