'We Know You Live Right Here': Federal Agents Threaten Legal Observers in Maine

Legal observers in Maine who have been documenting the actions of federal immigration officials say they've been receiving threats from masked agents at their own homes.

In a report published last week by the Portland Press Herald, activists who have been tracking the agents described encounters in which they have been threatened with arrests for conducting activities that courts have repeatedly ruled are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Liz Eisele McLellan, a resident of Westbrook, told the Press Herald that she opened her door one evening and found a masked agent standing there with at least three vehicles behind him barricading her street.

According to McLellan, the agent told her "this is a warning" and then added, "We know you live right here.”

Bob Peck, a retiree who lives in South Portland, filmed an encounter with a masked federal agent who threatened him with arrest if he continued following them to document their actions.

In a video recorded by Peck and posted on social media, the unidentified agent can be seen accusing Peck of "impeding" federal law enforcement by following them. Peck countered, however, that merely trailing them in his car was not impeding their ability to track and apprehend suspects.

“If you keep doing it, we’ll pull you back out and arrest you," the agent told him.

In an interview with the Press Herald, Peck said he interpreted this action as a threat.

Despite the threats from immigration agents, Maine residents so far appear undeterred in their determination to fight back against the actions of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Maine Public reported on Monday that a group of volunteers has been gathering every day at American Roots, a Westbrook-based apparel manufacturer that employs dozens of immigrant workers, to stand watch for ICE and CBP agents.

Although American Roots says that it has ensured all of its workers have documented legal status, many community members have still expressed concern about agents grabbing them as they arrive at or exit from their jobs.

"We are forming a barrier," Rabbi Rachel Simmons, one of the organizers of the watch sessions, told Maine Public. "We are standing between the workers who are being targeted and those who want to do them harm."

Reverend Jane Field, executive director of the Maine Council of Churches, told Maine Public that she assembled a "God squad" that swooped in when American Roots put out a notice asking for help.

However, Field also said that she and her team cannot look after the factory's workers all the time, and that she worries about them when they drive home at the end of the day.

"I mean, it's hard to believe that this is our country, that that you have to say that, that people driving home from their jobs live in that much terror," she said.

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that similar watch efforts have sprung up at schools in Portland, where many immigrant students have been staying home to avoid being apprehended by ICE and CBP.

Katie Mears, a parent who has helped organize a watch at a local elementary school, said her goal is to help families whose kids "no longer feel safe coming to school."

"If we can use our privilege in a useful way, and stand out in the cold for an hour or two to make people feel safer," said Mears, "it’s 1,000% worth it."