Republican lawmakers in Maine are criticizing Secretary of State Shenna Bellows for her decision not to issue new undercover license plates to federal law enforcement officers ahead of a potential surge in immigration enforcement in Maine.
But Bellows said she wants more assurances from federal officials about immigration enforcement tactics before approving new license plates for undercover, unmarked vehicles.
Bellows paused issuance of the new undercover plates last week after receiving a request from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The pause comes at a time when community leaders in Lewiston, Portland and other towns are preparing for a potential surge of federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies
"Given what's happening in Minnesota, given the rumors of an ICE deployment to Maine, we made the decision that we are pausing the issuance of unmarked plates, which present as civilian plates . . . and they are not traceable to anyone," Bellows told members of a legislative committee on Tuesday.
Less than an hour earlier, Bellows was roundly criticized by Republican lawmakers during a press conference where they also accused Gov. Janet Mills and other Democrats of engaging in inflammatory rhetoric toward federal law enforcement.
Republican Rep. Donald Ardell of Monticello, who spent 25 years as a plain clothes officer with various federal agencies, joined other Republicans Tuesday in saying that Bellows' actions could jeopardize public safety because it isn't restricted to ICE agents. Ardell described Bellows' decision as "not only petty but it's disgusting."
"For Secretary of State Bellows to deny federal agents this common, non-controversial capacity is to restrict them to combat smugglers, traffickers, terrorists and those committing fraud, not merely those enforcing immigration law," Ardell said.
But in an interview later Tuesday, Bellows said she is the person responsible for authorizing issuance of undercover plates for law enforcement purposes. ICE has been accused of heavy-handed or even unconstitutional tactics during the recent immigration crackdowns in Minneapolis and other cities.
"Some of the stories of abuses of power in Minnesota and Illinois raise some concerns about how these plates might be used," Bellows said. "We want assurances from the federal government that the plates won't be used for lawless purposes."
Bellows is running for the Democratic nomination for governor this year.
