00:00And ICE has arrested more people in Maine so far this year than the previous two years combined.
00:05That's according to new data released by a national non-profit.
00:08It also shows the vast majority of detainees did not have a criminal record.
00:12CBS 13's Sam DeCoste joins us live now in the studio.
00:15And Sam, how many did have criminal records?
00:18Well, according to a group called the Deportation Data Project,
00:21nearly 2% of individuals detained in Maine since 2024 have a criminal history.
00:27But only one person had a violent criminal conviction.
00:31It's one person.
00:33I mean, you probably have a better chance of finding a needle in a haystack.
00:37The Deportation Data Project collects immigration data from the U.S. government and makes it public.
00:43The Maine Immigrants Rights Coalition published the Maine data in its own report.
00:47Its data shows a sharp increase in detentions this year,
00:51with roughly 482 arrests in Maine so far in 2026.
00:56Ruben Torres says there's been about two arrests per day since May,
01:01forcing families to have difficult conversations.
01:04How do you tell a four-, five-, six-year-old, like,
01:08you're going to be the man of the house if dad is arrested?
01:11What has been sold to the public as a need for public safety
01:16isn't being reflected in how the actions are being undertaken.
01:20Previously, DHS said it was targeting people it called the worst of the worst.
01:25But earlier this year, we told you that just half of the arrests made by ICE in Maine were targeted.
01:31The rest were individuals present near an ICE agent and suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.
01:36In the newly released data, DHS removed this distinction.
01:41I asked DHS why it did.
01:43DHS did not answer my question directly, but said in part, quote,
01:47many of the individuals that are counted as non-criminals are actually terrorists,
01:52human rights abusers, gangsters, and more.
01:55They just don't have a rap sheet in the U.S.
01:57Further, every single one of these individuals committed a crime when they came into this country illegally.
02:04DHS also claimed the report is inaccurate,
02:06and that the data in question was not reviewed before it was released.
02:10The data was obtained through Freedom of Information requests.
02:14Torres hopes state and federal leaders see the data
02:17and use it to push for significant immigration reform.
02:21Find ways to fund a functional immigration system
02:24so that way going through the process actually means something for families.
02:30Based on the volume of calls taken on the Immigrant Defense Hotline,
02:34Torres believes the number of arrests is on pace to steadily increase
02:38all the way up to the end of the year.
02:40But he hopes making the data public empowers the community
02:43and maintains government transparency.
02:45In studio, Sam DeCoste, CBS 13 News.
02:48Greg, over to you.
