Platner Pledges 'There Will Be Consequences' for Trump Invading US Cities

As immigration agents continue to terrorize communities across the United States under the command of President Donald Trump, Democrat Graham Platner is speaking out from Maine, where he is running to unseat longtime Republican US Sen. Susan Collins next year.

In a video that Platner shared on social media on Sunday, he's seen taking questions from a crowd. One woman asks the oyster farmer and combat veteran to explain his feelings on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"So right now, armed, masked secret police are going around the country kidnapping American citizens, kidnapping people that are here legally, abusing people because of the color of their skin," Platner noted. "It's disgusting."

The candidate envisioned potential hearings about Trump's attacks on US cities whenever Democrats reclaim control of Congress.

"One of the reasons I want to go to the Senate is that when we have power again, I want to haul all of these people and the ones that made them do it in front of a Senate subcommittee, make them take their masks off," he said, drawing strong applause.

Before the Senate, those carrying out Trump's attacks can "explain to the American people how they can justify their illegal and unconstitutional behavior," he continued. "So, that's what I think about ICE."

Polling reported Monday by Newsweek shows that Platner or outgoing Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who's expected to enter the Senate race on Tuesday, are both well-positioned to oust Collins, who has held her seat since 1997. In the poll conducted by Zenith Research for More Perfect Union, Platner leads Collins by 14 points, while Mills is 8 points ahead of her.

While Maine has seen ICE enforcement actions and protests against the agency, it has not been a primary target—unlike Chicago, where the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit on Saturday upheld District Judge April Perry's block on Trump deploying National Guard troops in northern Illinois.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, the agency has arrested over 1,000 people since launching Operation Midway Blitz last month. Federal agents have faced intense scrutiny for their actions in and around Chicago, such as fatally shooting a driver, pinning a news producer to the ground and hauling her off in an unmarked vehicle before releasing her without charges, and violently cracking down on protests—including at a facility in suburban Broadview, which led to another ruling against the Trump administration from a district judge last week.