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By Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter
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A U.S. citizen acting as a legal observer at an immigration enforcement operation told Newsweek that a federal agent threatened to put her on a domestic terrorist watch list and that officers would come to her home later that night.
The woman had responded to a message reporting ICE activity at the Home Depot at 300 Clarks Pond Parkway in South Portland, Maine, on Wednesday, January 21, at approximately 11:30 a.m.
When she arrived, she said she saw five or six ICE vehicles surrounding two individuals being detained in a corner of the parking lot. She began recording the scene, at which point two ICE agents allegedly blocked her path and began recording her in return.
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As she attempted to move closer to the arrest, she said two additional agents stopped her and allegedly threatened to use pepper spray if she did not keep her distance.
"A third agent filmed my face super close up and told me that I’d be put on a terrorist watch list and that they would come to my house that night," the woman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to concerns for her personal safety, told Newsweek.
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Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsweek, "There is NO database of ‘domestic terrorists’ run by DHS. We do of course monitor and investigate and refer all threats, assaults and obstruction of our officers to the appropriate law enforcement. Obstructing and assaulting law enforcement is a felony and a federal crime."
The woman said more vehicles and federal agents arrived, many of whom stood by as the scene unfolded. As additional members of the public gathered to observe, she said ICE called in large SUVs carrying heavily armed agents wearing fatigues and carrying pepper ball guns. The agents pushed observers further back from the scene, she added.
At least two individuals were detained and taken away by agents, the woman said. Once the federal vehicle departed, the remaining agents quickly left the area.
While no video of the alleged threat exists, an agent can be heard referencing a "domestic terrorist watch list" in a clip shared with Newsweek. Agents wearing Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) vests, a subdivision of ICE, are seen filming the woman during the encounter.
The alleged incident took place amid a wave of immigration enforcement as part of "Operation Catch of the Day," during which ICE has arrested more than 100 migrants without legal status, DHS said.
"We have launched Operation Catch of the Day to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens in the state," the agency said in a press release.
Back-to-back killings by ICE and Border Patrol have increased fear among local communities over heavy-handed tactics used by federal immigration authorities.
In January, a U.S. citizen and mother of three, Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis during enforcement operations, sparking nationwide outrage and protests. Less than three weeks later, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse and U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in the same city.
ICE is barreling toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s mass deportation pledge, amid rising reports of U.S. citizens being threatened, detained, or killed during enforcement operations and one ex-official previously told Newsweek the tactics now being used in cities increase the risk of dangerous encounters.
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