A Maine woman’s emotional plea to a local city council over immigration enforcement drew attention after she warned that the country’s white population would “die out” while urging officials to oppose cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Speaking before the Scarborough City Council, the woman called on local officials to take action against ICE enforcement in Maine.
She said she feared the effects of federal immigration operations on workers, families, and communities across the state.
The woman said she worked in accounting at one of Maine’s largest processing plants and argued that some businesses depend on immigrant labor because they cannot find enough local workers to fill certain jobs.
“I need you to understand that businesses in Maine do not have local people to do these jobs,” she said, adding that her company had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to bring workers to Maine who were “legally allowed” to work.
The woman also raised concerns about the relationship between local police and immigrant communities.
She said she feared people could lose trust in law enforcement if they believed officers might share information that could lead ICE to their friends or neighbors.
“I can no longer trust the community police officers if I am to say that I have a friend of color that might tip off ICE and end up at their door,” she told council members.
The speech took an unexpected turn when she discussed her family’s immigration history and warned that continued fear and racism could affect demographic trends.
“My family came here from Canada from Germany not too long ago,” she said. “If we continue this fear, if we continue this racism, we will die out. The population of white people is going to die out. No one’s gonna move here.”
The comments came as the Trump administration continues its immigration enforcement operation in Maine, known as “Operation Catch of the Day,” The Post Millennial reported.
Federal officials have said the effort is focused on individuals they describe as the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens.
Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said earlier this year that Maine officials had chosen to protect illegal aliens rather than law-abiding citizens.
Federal officials said the operation had resulted in arrests involving individuals accused or convicted of crimes including aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and endangering the welfare of a child.
The debate comes as Maine has enacted new laws limiting certain forms of cooperation between state and local agencies and ICE.
The measures affect areas including policing, rental housing, schools, and state healthcare facilities, according to ACLU Maine.
Supporters say the laws protect residents and help preserve trust in local institutions.
Critics argue the restrictions could make it more difficult for federal immigration authorities to enforce immigration laws and take custody of individuals facing removal proceedings.
The Scarborough resident’s comments reflect the broader national divide over immigration enforcement.
Supporters of stronger enforcement argue federal authorities must be allowed to carry out immigration laws, while opponents say expanded ICE activity creates fear and weakens trust within immigrant communities.
Her comments about race and demographics have added a new point of controversy to the ongoing dispute over how Maine communities should respond to federal immigration enforcement.
WATCH:
