Sen. Susan Collins is touting a behind-the-scenes win on immigration enforcement in Maine, and her Democratic rivals are treating it as a political opening, not a victory. After a week of stepped-up Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity that led to 206 arrests and rattled immigrant communities, Collins announced Thursday that ICE had "ceased its enhanced operations" in the state.
- The Republican, who faces a competitive re-election battle in November, said she had urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials to scale back the effort and thanked them for heeding her recommendations. ICE has not confirmed that the surge has formally ended, prompting doubts among advocates that the reprieve will last. Unlike two Senate Republicans, Collins has not said Noem should step down.